Unfortunately, the hoisting of the No.8 typhoon signal this afternoon by the Hong Kong Observatory has forced us to cancel tonight’s race meeting at Happy Valley.
The safety of our race-day workforce of over 8,000 people, which includes personnel from racing, wagering and catering, as well as the welfare of our horses, trainers and other racing staff, including stewards, starters, barrier attendants, stable hands, doctors, veterinarians and clerks of the course are of paramount importance to the Club.
Similarly, the safety of our valuable customers is also a priority for the Club.
We plan to seek approval from the Hong Kong SAR Government in accordance with established procedures to hold a race meeting on Monday, 3 July 2023.
Those patrons who had made bookings to attend Happy Valley tonight will be refunded and all bets placed on tonight’s meeting – either cash or placed through Telebet and Digital Channels – will be also be refunded.
On a more positive note, elite overseas horseracing over the past week has not only been spectacular, but it has also provided a potential glimpse of what we might expect during next month’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) with the running of the G1 Tenno Sho Autumn (2000m) and the G1 Melbourne Cup (3200m).
Panthalassa, who has been invited to contest G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), ensured that this year’s Tenno Sho Autumn will be long remembered with his amazing effort to lead all the way, at one stage building a 15-length advantage, before being overtaken by the supremely talented Equinox in the final strides.
Equinox’s performance to win a G1 at only his fifth start is quite remarkable, but Panthalassa’s effort under Yutaka Yoshida to defy all other runners – including eight fellow LONGINES HKIR entrants – was very much the talking point after the race and I look forward to watching him compete for Yoshito Yahagi at Sha Tin on 11 December.
Apart from Panthalassa, the runs of LONGINES HKIR nominees Danon Beluga (third), Jack d’Or (fourth) and Karate (sixth) on Sunday (30 October) also boded well for our showpiece meeting next month.
Similarly, the effort of Deauville Legend to finish fourth behind Gold Trip in the G1 Melbourne Cup on a soft track for Hong Kong owner Boniface Ho was full of merit on Tuesday (1 November). Deauville Legend has been invited to run in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and, based on his performance at Flemington, he gives the impression that a drop in distance on firmer ground would suit him in Hong Kong.
Deauville Legend is still a Northern Hemisphere three-year-old, which makes his effort even more credible but we have to see how he recovers from the demanding run and if Boniface gives him the green light to come to LONGINES HKIR.
While the Hong Kong season is approaching only the 16th meeting, the trainers’ championship is already a hotly contested battle with just three wins separating the top seven trainers with Tony Cruz leading with 12, followed closely by last season’s Hong Kong champion trainer Frankie Lor (11), Francis Lui (11), John Size (10), David Hayes (10), Ricky Yiu (10) and Caspar Fownes (nine).
The congested nature at the top of the table underlines Hong Kong racing’s unrelenting competitiveness.
The Hong Kong jockeys’ championship currently has a starkly different feel to it with Zac Purton well in command at this stage with 32 wins, 17 ahead of Vincent Ho (15) and Alexis Badel (10). Matthew Chadwick is next with nine after his double on Sunday, while it was great to see Antoine Hamelin also post a double at the last meeting.
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