Most of you would be as disappointed as me with the performances of Glorious Days and Lucky Nine in the Yasuda Kinen last Sunday, as both horses failed to shine and finished unplaced in Tokyo. In my opinion, even when at his best, Lucky Nine would have difficulties staying the mile distance at Tokyo. The long uphill straight and the fast pace of races in Japan stretches horses’ stamina and these factors make the mile at Tokyo more demanding than an 1800m race at Sha Tin. Glorious Days was making his first start travelling away from Hong Kong and he was perfect in the parade ring. However, he lacked concentration when proceeding to the starting gates and was never in the race. He was surprised by the furious pace from the gates and I believe he should improve from this experience.
The results were not as we had hoped but that’s part of racing and one has to try in order to know whether a horse can cope with entirely different conditions overseas and deliver a top-level performance. On this occasion, the long season has most probably taken a toll on both horses, which has contributed to their below-average performances – horses are not machines. It also shows that if our horse connections wish to challenge for late-season contests overseas, such as the Yasuda, they perhaps may need to map out and plan a campaign with that race as one of the main aims, so as to boost their winning chance.
On a positive note, it is pleasing that we had some encouraging simulcast figures at the weekend as, adding together all turnovers from our coverage of the Yasuda Kinen, Prix du Jockey Club and six simulcast races from Epsom’s English Derby day last Saturday, we reported a total turnover of over HK$145 million and generated more than HK$20 million of betting duties from these eight simulcast races. This reflects the high popularity of our simulcasts and the keen interest in major overseas contests among local racing fans.
But despite this, I regret that there is some disappointing news related to our simulcast arrangements. It’s a pity that under the current regulation, we could not cover the Belmont Stakes – the final leg of the US Triple Crown – which will be held at Belmont Park, New York, this coming Saturday.
Many people who love and closely follow the sport of horse racing, including myself, think that the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I’ll Have Another has a very good chance to achieve the clean sweep and became the first US Triple Crown winner since 1978, especially as Bodemeister, his closest rival in the first two legs, is bypassing this prestigious event this weekend.
With this race being held in the early hours of Sunday in Hong Kong, it will fall outside our Saturday race day and would be counted as one of our overseas simulcast race days for the season. Given the current restrictions on our simulcast arrangements, we are allowed to have only 15 simulcast days in a season. That means if we have to take Belmont Stakes as a simulcast day, given the season’s limited simulcast quotas, we would have to give up either the King’s Stand Stakes day simulcasts – with the participation of Hong Kong runners Joy And Fun and Little Bridge on 19 June – or the Diamond Jubilee Stakes day on 23 June when the champion Australian mare Black Caviar will be making her first race appearance outside Australia. I believe our racing fans in Hong Kong are equally looking forward to watching both of these two top sprinting events. Understandably, dropping either of these two races will not be a feasible option at all.
Although quite a number of racing fans and media friends have expressed to us their view in the past fortnight, hoping that the simulcast of the Belmont Stakes could materialise, I regret that they will be disappointed once again as the matter is out of our hands.
Hopefully, some of those who share our disappointment will find consolation in our Happy Valley race meeting tonight, which offers an attractive eight-race card that promises plenty of excitement. At trackside we will be hosting various Music Rocks the Valley-themed activities and the famous artist-singer Gem Tang will be joining us for the programme tonight. So please come along with your friends and colleagues for a terrific evening at the Valley.
Among the eight races on the card, the Happy Valley Vase is a Class 1 handicap over 1800m, in which horses with rating of 90+ are eligible to be entered and all horses rated below 102 in the field will be running against their handicap marks. The pace is expected to be good to slow which gives a slight advantage to the horses in the front of the field. Happy Guys is likely to lead with Packing Whiz and Military Move close up. Pure Champion and Familists should be well placed one off the rail with Military Attack in midfield on the rail. Military Attack is working very well and is on form. The step up from 1600m to 1800m should not be an issue for him as long as he gets a clear run in the straight, because with the rail in the A Course, horses don't roll off the fence like when we are on the other tracks with a cutaway rail. I think he will be the horse to beat in this race. Familists is working very well too and regarding to his form, he should not be underestimated, as well as Pure Champion who ran credibly in the APQE II Cup. Packing Whiz is running and working well and completes the chances for a place, with the in-form and distance specialist Osvaldo as an outsider out of the handicap. Noble Conqueror, who has won three times over the course and distance, is not working as well as before after his stable change. Therefore I am not quite optimistic about his chances tonight.
Comment
