Back in midweek our night race meeting was held on Sha Tin’s All Weather track, and I’m delighted to see some great results on the night’s turnover, which reached HK$909 million and was the highest amount for an all-weather night meeting since 2000. This shows our racing fans in general have the similar confidence in our dirt races as they do in our turf races at Sha Tin and Happy Valley, and that they give them the strong support, too.
But over the past week I’ve also been very concerned with another issue, as some members of the racing media have been discussing whether Multiglory should or should not have been selected in the field of runners for last week’s Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby, and a few critics disagreed with our decision not to include this horse in the Derby field. In response to latest developments I have sent a letter to the horse’s Owner, Ms Lyraa Ng, to further explain the matter and the reasons why we reached such a decision. I think it would also be a good idea to share our reasoning on this matter with all racing fans through my blog here.
As far as the selection panel is concerned, it’s their duty to maintain the standards of this prestigious race by making sure that of the many horses entered only not just possessed the rating, but also recent form and stamina likely to give them good chance of performing to a high level in this classic event are selected to run.
In purely rating terms Multiglory could have been qualified on his mark of 109, which placed him behind only Little Bridge, Ambitious Dragon and Xtension. But that rating was achieved at sprint distances of up to 1400m, and the horse had not proved in any of his previous runs that he would have been able to run to the same level of form as he has done in the past over the sprint distances, at the Derby distance of 2000m.
Where horses who have not run over a longer distance are concerned we can refer to their pedigrees for further indication of whether or not they are likely to stay the 2000m distance. But in Multiglory’s case, his first, second, and third dams were all sprinters. So were the progeny of his first and second dam. As some racing fans may know, Multiglory’s sire King Of Danes, who previously raced in Hong Kong, was also a pure sprinter and he has never bred a horse who has won at a distance further than a mile. Staroka, sire of Multiglory’s first dam Who’s Blushing, was also a pure sprinter, and most his progeny performed at sprint distances.
Back to the selected runners of the 2011 Derby field, one can see that all horses rated above Multiglory have shown better recent form over the distance of at least a mile or above. Others with lower ratings also showed better recent form and performed better over a longer distance than Multiglory, which suggested they could be more relevant for the selection to run in the Derby.
I also want to highlight that the decision to select Semos as the last horse to take up a starting place in the 14-runner Derby, was vindicated by the fact that he eventually finished fifth in the race. On the other hand, Multiglory seems to be unable to cope with even the 1800m distance as he finished last in the Premier Plate held on the Derby day.
I wish to reiterate that we always treasure the great support given by horse owners to our racing in Hong Kong. Our racing officials, meanwhile, work with absolute professionalism and integrity, and they always have the overall interests of Hong Kong racing in their hearts. I can reassure everybody that they have no intention of discriminating against any horses or Owners. Hopefully we all can look forward to future success for Multiglory and other young runners like him.
This evening, I believe many of you will be turning your attention to the Dubai World Cup races at Meydan Racecourse. As I have done on past occasions, I’ve also arrived in the UAE for this international racing carnival and will be cheering on our Hong Kong runners at the racecourse.
Previously, we’ve had Vengeance Of Rain and Joy And Fun who gained success and glory for Hong Kong in Dubai. This year Hong Kong also has strong representation in the form of a six-pronged assault, with four of them, Dynamic Blitz, Green Birdie, Dim Sum and Sunny King set to compete in the Dubai Golden Shaheen. This season’s three-time Group One winner Beauty Flash contests in the Dubai Duty Free, while King Dancer will feature in the Dubai Sheema Classic.
This is by far the largest group of runners to have represented Hong Kong at a major overseas race meeting, a fact which surely reflects well on the high racing standards in Hong Kong, as well as on our Owners’ and trainers’ sportsmanship in showing willingness to send runners to challenge top-class runners from around the world in these major racing events. With many elite horses from the UK, the US, Europe, Japan and also the home country UAE featuring on the desert track tonight, I expect it to be a great event, and I hope our Hong Kong runners deliver some emphatic performances when facing this powerful international opposition this evening.
It’s great to hear all our Hong Kong contenders performed quite well in their final preparation ahead of the race. Personally, I think the Godolphin Mile is an interesting race from a Hong Kong Owner’s perspective, because our former Chairman Ronald Arculli has his very good miler Red Jazz running. This four-year-old horse looks terrific in his coat and the BMW Champions Mile could be his next start depending on his Dubai performance. He’s one of the main contenders in this race. Skysurfers is in good form and he won the Firebreak Stakes in a good style and fast time. Zafeen Speed is a progressive horse and a Meydan specialist. He has the winning combination of trainer Musabah Al Muhairi and jockey Wayne Smith. These two horses will be the other leading challengers in this Group 2 event.
The Dubai Golden Shaheen is also of special interest from a Hong Kong perspective with 4 out of the 10 starters coming from Hong Kong, and the big question mark for the Hong Kong horses is how they handle the Tapeta track in Meydan. However, Dynamic Blitz should be of exception as he has won very convincingly in the Al Shindagha Sprint on this surface last time and he has a good chance to finish in the money. The horse to beat is Rocket Man who is in terrific form and has no issue with the surface and Gate 9 is his main handicap. Kinsale King is his main rival drawn in Gate 1, but I would not be surprised to see Dim Sum running into the frame.
The Dubai Duty Free appears to be a very open race and with his excellent draw, Beauty Flash has a real chance in the race, and my main concern is only the additional distance of 200m. Wigmore Hall is in very good form. Along with Mike de Kock’s duo Raihana as well as River Jetez, and Luca Cumani’s Presvis, they will be the other main contenders in this race.
The Dubai Sheema Classic is a tough race for Hong Kong’s King Dancer, especially after his horror draw of 14. Dangerous Midge as the Breeders Cup Turf Winner is in great form and Redwood who ran a terrific second in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase, as well as Rewilding from the Godolphin and ridden by Frankie Dettori, are the main chances in this one and a half mile event.
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