The Club’s purpose is to act continuously for the betterment of society and we are proud of our long association with the Hong Kong Sports Association for the Physically Disabled (HKSPAD), which has made significant contributions since 1972 to the community through its commitment to developing the city’s para sports and enhancing athletes’ competitiveness.
The Club has supported the HKSAPD’s various projects through donations since 1979, notably with the renovation of its headquarters, provision of subsidies to athletes in joining the Paralympics and the organisation of international competitions.
Today at Sha Tin, we celebrate the HKSAPD’s 50 years of service to the community by staging the Hong Kong Sports Association for the Physically Disabled 50th Anniversary Raceday with the Honourable Kevin Yeung, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism for the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to present the trophy to the winning owner of the Class 4 Hong Kong Sports Association for the Physically Disabled 50th Anniversary Handicap.
The Class 2 Para Sports Coach Handicap (1600m), which is carded as race 9 and is worth HK$2.9 million in prizemoney, is the highlight of Sha Tin’s Sunday meeting. As well as the outstanding prizemoney, Tuchel, Sweet Encounter, Amazing Victory and Drombeg Banner are eligible to collect HK$1 million bonuses if they win and Flaming Rabbit could collect a HK$2 million PP bonus as a Class 2 winner for his first success in Hong Kong.
The speed in the race will be good with Drombeg Banner and All For St Paul’s, drawn alongside each other in gates eight and nine, going forward to contest the lead. Drombeg Banner will be ridden by Ellis Wong and with his claim has a very light weight and may run along in front. Amazing Victory and Bourbonaire should also race in forward positions from their respective draws.
The strength of form of the BMW Hong Kong Derby continues to emerge and Tuchel was runner up in that race to Voyage Bubble. He switched back in distance to 1400m when third to Beauty Eternal and Circuit Stellar on 30 April. In that race he settled on speed and was beaten under a length. Zac Purton will have Tuchel in a striking position one off the fence and he is my win and place selection.
Sweet Encounter is another talented horse who ran through the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, finishing seventh in the Derby. At his subsequent run, he went back from an outside gate and made good ground from last on the turn to finish third to Straight Arron over 1800m on 23 April. Sweet Encounter must contend with an outside draw again but if Brenton Avdulla can find a spot early, he is one of the main chances in the race.
Flaming Rabbit flew the gates last start and crossed to the fence settling behind the leader. He stayed on well in the concluding stages to finish seventh to Beauty Eternal over 1400m on 30 April. It will be interesting if Lyle Hewitson elects to go back from the outside gate but Flaming Rabbit is a high-class four-year-old who has won Group races in both England and Germany and is a place chance.
Amazing Victory has been a model of consistency finishing in the top three in nine of ten runs this season, winning three and is a place chance again, along with Spirited Express, who made good ground at his last start after beating Amazing Victory over this course and distance at his previous start.
Reflecting on last night’s G1 Lockinge Stakes (1600m) at Newbury, Modern Games confirmed his high quality with an emphatic win for Charlie Appleby and William Buick. Charlie has made no secret of his admiration for Modern Games, who landed his fifth Group 1 victory – and first on British soil – with a powerful finish over the final 400m.
Looking ahead to next week, I extend a warm welcome to New Zealand’s Michael Dee, who joins our jockey roster after winning the G1 Goodwood and G3 Proud Miss Stakes at Morphettville Racecourse in Adelaide yesterday.
Michael is able to ride at 113lb and, having partnered the winners of the G1 Caulfield Cup, Victoria Derby, Australian Guineas and Blue Diamond Stakes in the past year alone, he is in career-peak form. I look forward to watching him in action at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (24 May).
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