Last Saturday at Sha Tin I witnessed the unfortunate coincidence of two jockeys getting injured in falls from their horses in separate races. In the first race Brett Prebble was dislodged from Telecom Top Star after clipping the heels of other runners early in the straight. Then Vincent Ho was thrown from his mount Gurus Dream after quite a similar incident in the final race.
I watched both accidents from the grandstand and the falls looked quite horrific to me, and like most our racing fans, I felt very relieved to see neither jockey had suffered life-threatening injuries. After Brett’s fall in the first race, I immediately rushed to the first aid room to meet Brett, he was obviously in some pain but could still walk by himself. He was even able to return to the racecourse for a post-race inquiry after being discharged from hospital, despite having suffered a collarbone injury. This has all but shown his great professionalism and also his tough character.
Comparatively, Vincent’s fall looked even more worrying to me, as his horse was at then in a handy position and other jockeys needed to check and move their rides away to avoid any contacts with Vincent. There I immediately asked our Executive Director of Racing William Nader to go to hospital to personally follow Vincent’s condition. I breathe a sigh of relief after learning that he did not sustain serious injuries, and remained conscious on his way to the hospital. I feel great to hear that the injuries Vincent sustained to his left arm were less serious than we first thought, and the doctor allowed him to be discharged from hospital on Monday. Both jockeys will be sidelined for a few weeks while their injuries heal, and I wish them the speediest possible recovery to good health.
Horse racing is a sport that takes place at high speeds and involves powerfully-built animals, so inevitably it carries certain risks, and accidents can sometimes happen in split seconds during races. That's why we maintain very strict race monitoring, as the safety of jockeys and horses always has to be our highest priority. Our jockeys have an obligation to maintain high alertness, and know that we will penalise riders who commit careless or ruthless riding and jeopardise the safety of others. We can never eliminate the risk of accidents completely, but through these efforts we do our utmost to minimise it.
While I was following up the latest reports of Brett's and Vincent's injuries on Sunday morning, I heard another shocking piece of news – the death of popular singer Whitney Houston at the age of just 48, only hours before she was due to appear at this year’s Grammy Awards presentation in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
Almost everyone of my generation will have fond memories of seeing or hearing Whitney Houston perform, as she was a major presence on the music scene through the 1980s and early '90s with her astonishingly powerful voice. I know she was very popular in Hong Kong, too, and I believe many of you could still remember and sing some of her greatest hits.
It’s so sad to know that this internationally-renowned diva has left us at such a relatively young age. If any good can come of it, I do hope that it will help to emphasise the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle among today's younger generation.
Moving back to our races tonight, there looks to be an interesting battle in prospect in Race 8, the Arsenal Handicap, as two of the current leading contenders in the 1O1O Million Challenge, Mr Bond and Regency Winner are both in action again. Also joining this Class 2 1650m race are two other four-year-olds making their Hong Kong debut, Military Attack and Packing Whiz. Both these horses have been entered for the Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby next month, so their Owners and trainers will be hoping for a good result to boost their chances of earning a coveted starting place in the Derby. I will be paying special attention to the performances of these four challengers.
With an expected good to slow pace, it will help horses in the front of the field. Voile Rouge should be the leader coming out of Gate 3, together with Dragon Fighter and Turf Express. I see Voile Rouge as a win and place chance, but Mr Bond is still the horse to beat even from his draw 9. He is working well and ran well in his last race, with being wide all the way but he stayed on well. Fortune Red Pepper has lost some weight and is working well. He should come from behind midfield for a place. Happy Tumbler has again a wide draw and will finish fast, as well as Regency Winner who from Gate 5 will drop to the back of the field.
The Police Cup is a Class 3 run at the C Course over 1200m. With an expected good pace, it gives a slight advantage to horses in front of the field, but a good draw enhances the chances, too. Bould Mover and Loads Of Joy are the likely leaders, with Mr Vigorous may use the good draw to be positioned just behind the leaders. I see him as a place chance, but I like especially Legendary Dragon who should be placed behind the front runners and working well recently. Smart Kids from Gate 3 should be positioned behind midfield and was crowded last time. The 1200m is a better distance for him and is another place chance in this race. Happy Ha Ha ran well last time but has to overcome his draw of 9 and will come from behind midfield. I see him as a place chance, too. An interesting outsider is Happy Drumming who was raced wide in his last run. But from Gate 4 he should be well positioned in midfield, and be more possible to race closer to the rail to this time.
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