Approaching the eighth meeting of the season – National Day Raceday at Sha Tin on Friday (1 October) – it is already apparent the green shoots of the future are starting to bud with the emergence of several exciting young talents.
The retirement last season of Beauty Generation and Exultant marked not only the departure of two wonderful champions, but served also as a reminder of racing’s incessant state of change.
Warriors of Beauty Generation and Exultant’s calibre are irreplaceable simply because of their phenomenal achievements, but the reality of racing is that there is always a new guard massing on the horizon and we are most fortunate to have already seen some exciting talents emerge in the formative stages of this season.
The stunning 1000m debut victory of Nervous Witness – who runs again on Friday – was outstanding and, even though they were ultimately beaten first-up in Hong Kong, the performances of Five Elements, Master Delight and California Cible have given their owners much to be positive about.
Already blessed with Golden Sixty, Wellington, Panfield, Sky Darci, Hot King Prawn, Courier Wonder and Fantastic Treasure, and others, the foundations for the next generation are already there. But there is scope for even more growth.
The Club’s decision to reduce Hong Kong minimum ratings by five points for Private Purchase (PPs) imports after a thorough review of our horse population will gradually impact in a positive way for our valued owners.
The competitive nature of Hong Kong racing is well established and it was evident again last Sunday when four of the 10 races were decided by a short head with a further four decided by a neck.
With that competitiveness in mind, the new minimum ratings system does not signal a drop in the assessment of the ability of overseas horses to qualify for import into Hong Kong. Quality remains non-negotiable.
The Club is committed to improving the value proposition for owners importing PPs and the reduction in ratings is designed to increase the viability of new horses in Hong Kong.
Returns to owners are a priority for the Club and the changes to our High Performance Bonus for connections of PPs and PPGs (Private Purchase Griffins) underlines this commitment with potential windfalls of up to HK$3 million on offer for successful horses.
Tony Millard’s C P Brave collected a HK$1.5 million bonus for his owners when, as a 76-rated PP, he won a Class 2 at Happy Valley on 19 September – while also earning prizemoney of HK$1.3 million. If C P Brave wins again when rated 100 or above at Class 1 or above before turning five, he would be eligible for an additional HK$1.5 million bonus.
At Sha Tin on Friday, the Group 3 National Day Cup is the eighth race of the day and a full field of 14 runners will line up for the 1000 metre test. The pace will be good with Computer Patch, Voyage Warrior, Classic Unicorn and Valiant Dream all pushing forward to make the running.
There was nothing between Computer Patch and Voyage Warrior in their recent trial at Conghua when they matched strides throughout. Voyage Warrior will be equipped with blinkers for the first time and this will sharpen his speed with Ruan Maia named to ride. Karis Teetan will ride Computer Patch.
This race is a handicap and six of the runners get in under the minimum weight. Super Wealthy is the most interesting of that group as he comes off a first-up win three weeks ago in what was his first try over the course and distance. He will do his running from the back along the stands side rail under Alexis Badel and I make him a win and place chance to upset the field.
Jockey Vincent Ho is one win shy of his 400th win and has a good chance with Stronger, one of our top sprinters. He has trialled well, is well drawn and has performed well when first up in the past. He should be slightly worse than midfield in the run and will be closing the race off well as a place chance.
Lucky Patch is making his first start over the straight course but there was a lot to like about his first-up run in the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup. Jerry Chau has the ride but does not get his claim in the Group 3 event. I make him a place chance along with Voyage Warrior.
The Sha Tin meeting precedes a busy weekend of international features. The first of our simulcasts is on Saturday with the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama Racecourse in Japan. LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint winner Danon Smash is among the entrants.
On Sunday, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (2400m) takes centre stage at ParisLongchamp Racecourse for Europe’s premier mile and a half contest. As usual, the Arc has attracted a high-class band of contenders, including Tarnawa, Adayar, Snowfall, Love, Hurricane Lane and Japan’s Chrono Genesis – a half-sister to 2020 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup winner Normcore.
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