With December fast approaching, excitement is mounting for one of the highlights of our racing calendar – the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley on Wednesday, 10 December. It acts as a thrilling precursor to our blue riband event, the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, and few events showcase the global appeal of our sport quite like the IJC.
This year’s line-up is one of the strongest assemblies of riding talent in recent memory, featuring a host of previous IJC champions – Ryan Moore, Mickael Barzalona, Joao Moreira and Christophe Lemaire – alongside world-class riders including James McDonald, William Buick, Hollie Doyle, Rachel King and Umberto Rispoli.
The quartet of James, Mickael, Ryan and William currently occupy the top four positions in the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey standings, and the inclusion of Hollie and Rachel, both outstanding trailblazers in their own right, adds further depth and diversity. Umberto’s return, representing the United States, completes a remarkable international roster.
Add to that mix our very own three-time IJC victor and champion jockey, Zac Purton, as well as two others from the local riding ranks, and it is truly a stellar slate of global competitors.
I must note that Ryan’s participation remains subject to final confirmation as he continues to recover from a leg injury. We all hope Ryan makes a full recovery and is able to join us for what promises to be an exceptional evening.
I look forward to welcoming all of these outstanding riders to Hong Kong next month for an occasion that always delivers great competition and unforgettable moments.
This week, Hong Kong has the honour of hosting the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly, which returns to our city for the first time in almost three decades. As the international governing body for Olympic and Paralympic equestrian sport, the FEI’s annual gathering brings together representatives from across the globe to determine the direction of horse sport worldwide.
More than 240 delegates from 73 National Federations and 13 industry stakeholder groups are attending the meetings, and the Club is proud to support this prestigious occasion in partnership with the Equestrian Federation of Hong Kong, China, helping to showcase our city’s capabilities as an international hub for horse sports.
As part of the programme, the Club will host the official Welcome Reception at Happy Valley Racecourse during tonight’s meeting. It is a privilege to welcome FEI President Ingmar De Vos, Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez and so many distinguished guests to experience the unique atmosphere of Happy Valley – a venue that so vividly reflects Hong Kong’s vibrancy and passion for horse sport.
This event holds particular significance for me personally as Chairman of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities. The strategic partnership between the FEI and IFHA, which Ingmar and I have worked closely to develop, recognises the complementary nature of our two spheres of equine sport. Hong Kong’s unique position – with world-class racing alongside our longstanding support for Olympic equestrian disciplines – makes it an ideal bridge between these communities.
The Club’s enduring support for equestrian sport is well known. From building and funding the equestrian venues for the 2008 Olympic and Paralympic Games, to our ongoing investment in Conghua Racecourse and our riding schools, we have worked consistently to enhance Hong Kong’s reputation as a centre of equine excellence. Hosting the FEI General Assembly allows us to demonstrate Hong Kong’s continuing commitment to all forms of equine sports and to strengthen the bonds within the global equestrian family.
This Wednesday, we welcome midweek racing back to Happy Valley, where we continue our Japanese Festival at Happy Wednesday – a reminder that our local meetings deliver cultural experiences alongside world-class racing. It’s an opportunity for racegoers to enjoy themed food and music and to experience a different cultural lens on a sport we all cherish.
Tonight’s Cup Race is the Japan Racing Association Trophy, one of the feature contests of the evening’s programme and a fitting highlight given the recent success of Japanese horses on the international stage, with FOREVER YOUNG’s Breeders’ Cup Classic victory fresh in the memory. It also underlines the strong connections between Hong Kong and Japanese racing.
There’ll be an added frisson of excitement in the air with a new name in the race card as Hollie Doyle begins a short-term riding stint at the meeting. Though she’s been a regular visitor to Happy Valley in recent years, I wish Hollie the best of luck as she reacquaints herself with the tactical nuances of our iconic city track.
The Hanshin Handicap is carded as Race 9 and run over 1650m at 10.50pm and looks like an open and tactical contest.
The pace should be solid with LOVERO (Angus Chung) likely to take up the running from gate six. VICTORY SKY (Hollie Doyle) and SILVERY BREEZE (Brenton Avdulla) should settle close to the speed, while URANUS STAR (Zac Purton) and IVY LEAGUE (Richard Kingscote) will be prominent from good draws.
IVY LEAGUE was a course-and-distance winner in May and shaped well in his first run of the season at the end of last month. He’s been refreshed in Conghua since that run, and I make him a place chance.
This is an open contest and there are several horses who could upset if they find clear running. Among them, I rank EMBRACES (Jerry Chau), who showed promise when resuming with a close fourth in September from a wide gate, and STURDY RUBY (Vincent Ho), who was impressive in his second run of the season last month when he stalked the pace and finished strongly from gate two. I make them both place chances.
A AMERIC TE SPECSO (Andrea Atzeni) has drawn the outside gate but typically goes back from the start, so is not disadvantaged. In his most recent outing, he settled in the rear and ran home strongly to finish second over this course and distance. That was an encouraging effort, and he is a win and place chance.
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