The World Expo in Shanghai came to a close last week, and according to the organiser, more than 73 million people visited the fair over its six-month run. This makes it not only the largest-ever World Expo but also the best attended. Now all media eyes will be refocused on Mainland China's next major international event, the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, which will be officially opened on 12 November.
Following the success of the equestrian events of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, staged at Club-built venues in Hong Kong, we were invited by the Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee to assist once again with designing and building their equestrian venues and providing professional support. As a result, the Asian Games equestrian events will be held at a venue purpose-built by the Club in Conghua, to the north-east of Guangzhou, which we will convert after the Games to our new racehorse training centre.
The Club is honoured to have been named "Outstanding Contributor, Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games Equestrian Events" in recognition of its support, echoing a similar honour that was bestowed on us for the Beijing 2008 Olympics. This highlights our long-term commitment to the development of equine sports in Hong Kong and Mainland China.
Apart from helping to build the equestrian events venue and to work with Mainland and Hong Kong authorities in establishing the first Specific Equine Disease-free Zone in China, the Club is also responsible for transporting all horses participating in the equestrian events to Conghua. I’m glad to learn that the first batch of nine horses, coming from Korea, has arrived safely to the equestrian venues in Conghua. In fact, we have arranged two horse floats in transporting them from Guangzhou, through the equine disease-free passage, to the Conghua stables. Further tests and quarantine measures will be implemented in Conghua before the horses were certified for competition. I’m eagerly waiting to watch the competition at Conghua in person in the next two weeks.
This week, there are also many exciting sports actions. Apart from our races today at Sha Tin, in the early hours tomorrow we will also simulcast six Breeders’ Cup races from Churchill Downs for our racing fans in Hong Kong. This year this premier US race meeting will be as attractive as usual, as you will have the chance to see whether American sensation Zenyatta can extend her winning streak to 20 in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
There were other top European runners who made a trans-Atlantic journey for this racing carnival. Outstanding mare, Goldikova, will be making her farewell run and bidding to win the Breeders’ Cup Mile for the third time, taking her Group 1 tally to 12. Having won the Epsom Derby and Arc race, Workforce will also be trying to get his third major event victory at classic distance, in the Breeders’ Cup Turf.
This year’s Breeders’ Cup raceday will promise to be very exciting. So after enjoying our Sha Tin races this afternoon and some exciting football matches from Europe later tonight, you can tune in to this premier US racing event. There's also the Brazilian Grand Prix in the early hours of Monday morning, which may well decide this year's Formula 1 championship. I hope you all enjoy another great weekend of sport!
Among the 10 races on the Sha Tin card today, I will be interested to see how our rising star Little Bridge performs in the Panasonic P2HD Professional Video Handicap. Having snatched his fourth victory with a narrow margin last time over 1200m, he will return to run over his favourite distance of 1000m this time. He’s in nice form and I believe will be difficult to beat, even distance specialist Multiglory, who won four times and placed three times in 1000m races, is no push over at this distance.
In the Panasonic Cup Handicap, it is a great race and should be an open contest with the expected good to fast pace. With the ground tended to be on the good to yielding side, California Memory, who had sound performances at softer tracks when he was raced in France before coming to Hong Kong, should benefit from it and he is my favourite runner in this race. Another rising star Sparkling Power who performed well in his season debut, along with John Moore-trained English import Silver Grecian, they are also capable to challenge California Memory in this 1400m event.
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