Equine welfare and integrity are two of horseracing’s most important issues and, accordingly, the Hong Kong Jockey Club commits significant resources to both. As such, I have been particularly delighted to speak with a gathering of highly respected professionals, from racing analysts, veterinarians, racing administrators, legal experts and other industry stakeholders in Hong Kong this week.
The global outbreak of COVID prevented the usual biennial staging of the International Conference of Racing Analysts and Veterinarians (ICRAV) and this week’s meeting is its first since 2018 with the theme of “Sustaining the Integrity of Racing.”
We all recognise that integrity and fairness are the lifeblood of our sport. It is our collective duty to protect and uphold these principles. We owe it to horse owners, who invest their passion, time and resources into racing some of the world’s finest thoroughbreds. We also owe it to our customers, who place their trust in the integrity of our races and whose financial support is vital to the success of our industry.
Most important of all is the welfare of the horses in our care. Their well-being should always be our top priority, which is the basis we can continue our sport.
In the five years since this conference was last held, the world has weathered the extreme difficulties of the pandemic. The global racing industry experienced significant setbacks through the closure of racecourses, and restrictions on the movement of people and horses. In many jurisdictions, lockdowns greatly reduced the wagering activity that sustains our industry.
Hong Kong, through the application of stringent safety measures, was able to continue without the loss of a single race meeting, all the while safeguarding public health and our participants.
Looking to the future, the conference’s agenda this week includes several vital issues, including gene doping and therapy, technology advancements, rules harmonisation and horse welfare.
Gene doping, in particular, is an insidious threat that compromises the fairness and spirit of competition. We must remain vigilant in our efforts to detect and prevent this unethical practice.
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) has a Gene Doping Control Subcommittee, which reflects the serious concerns globally over this threat to the integrity of horse racing. The subcommittee’s task is to clearly define the terms gene doping, gene therapy, cellular therapy and cellular doping. We must make clear which of these practices are detrimental to horse racing and breeding, and suggest guidance for the proper control of legitimate therapies.
With the expertise assembled in Hong Kong this week, I hope we can take steps towards ultimately developing cutting-edge testing protocols and ensure that our horses are competing on a level playing field. By doing so, we will protect the integrity of our sport.
Happy Valley takes centre stage on Wednesday night with free admission to members of the public and tourists into the course’s Public Enclosure and the world-famous Beer Garden, where the “Happy Wednesday” theme is the “The Greatest Show in Town”. Racegoers can enjoy performances by jugglers, acrobats and local group “OnPoint.”
On the track, the Class 2 Victoria Harbour Handicap is run over 1650m at 10.50pm, carrying $3,120,000 in prizemoney. The pace should be good with TELECOM FIGHTERS likely to use his early speed from barrier 12 to vie for the lead, while EVERYONE’S DELIGHT and HELENE FEELING searching for trails close to the speed. THE IRISHMAN, for Jerry Chau, is likely to be prominent, while GALAXY WITNESS, NEARLY FINE and NATURAL STORM will probably settle at the rear of the field.
Karis Teetan rides HELENE FEELING and should be able to follow TELECOM FIGHTERS across from the wide draw and land in a forward position off the fence. HELENE FEELING is still only a three-year-old and had an excellent debut season, winning two of five runs and was placed in his other three. He raced on the speed when beating E LEGEND over 1600m at Sha Tin on 3 July. HELENE FEELING is up in class tonight but is a win and place chance against older and more seasoned rivals as he heads towards the Four-Year-Old Classic Series later in the season.
GALAXY WITNESS raced through last season’s Classic Series and was third to SUPER SUNNY SING in the Classic Cup (1800m) in February. He resumed on 10 September at Sha Tin when settling midfield from a wide gate and peaked on his run in the final stages, finishing fourth to THE GOLDEN SCENERY over 1400m. GALAXY WITNESS was placed at his only run at Happy Valley and is a place chance again for Vincent Ho.
SPIRITED EXPRESS won two races last season, including a brilliant victory over 1800m here on LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship night in December when he stormed down the outside to win under Hollie Doyle. His other success was over 1600m at Sha Tin in April. SPIRITED EXPRESS was an easy trial winner for his new rider Andrea Atzeni last week and is a place chance.
RISE BRETHREN was also a recent trial winner when ridden by Zac Purton, who takes the ride tonight. At his last run, RISE BRETHREN ran home strongly for fourth behind SWORD POINT on 1 July over 2000m. RISE BRETHREN should get a good run from gate four and will be suited by a strong pace. He is an also win and place chance.
This is a competitive race to finish the night with THE IRISHMAN, TELECOM FIGHTERS and BERLIN TANGO having claims, as well as NEARLY FINE, who starts his defence of his DBS x Manulife Million Challenge crown having won it last year.
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