Before last Saturday’s Sha Tin races, we arranged simulcasts of the Patinack Farm Classic and the Emirates Stakes from Australia. Some of you know that in the minutes before the start of the Emirates Stakes, the TV signal provided by our Australian partner was still showing a live band performance at Flemington Racecourse. The camera only returned to the starting gate within the last minute before the start of this G1 event, but by that time a number of race runners had been started loading into the stalls and the race started shortly after that.
I watched the races from home that day and was also not happy at all by the coverage provided by Channel 7. The coverage was mainly targeted on Australian home viewership, but not adequate for our racing customers in Hong Kong! In fact, our audiovisual team colleagues tried during the week to get permission for extra cameras in the simulcast, but this was not permitted by the TV rights owner Channel 7. With it being the case, there was not much we could do at the relevant time.
As you know, it is a different scenario when we broadcast our local races. No matter whether it is a Group 1 race or an ordinary class race, we always ensure racing fans can follow each runner pre-race; enabling them to assess how they appear in the paddock and how they act going to the starting gate, and then how they load into the gates. We believe that only by showing the horses’ movements pre-race will be best cater to our racing customers’ and audience’s needs, so that they feel that they are participating as fully as possible in the race experience. On top of these, we also offer multi-angle race replays and run-through analysis on our website. We shall continue to do these things, so as to provide the best race broadcast service to our racing fans. It is important to us that racing fans get full enjoyment from the races whether they are watching in the racecourses or off the track.
We expect there will be plenty of exciting race action during our broadcast of the three G2 events on the Jockey Club Races day on Sunday, including the LONGINES Jockey Club Cup, which is sponsored by our new partner Longines. By the way, we will announce this afternoon our latest racing partnership with a new title sponsor for the Hong Kong Derby, the most prestigious local racing event in Hong Kong, calendared to take place on 17 March next year.
German automobile brand BMW sponsored our international G1 event, the Champions Mile, for the past two years, and we are pleased to continue and extend this successful association as BMW is the new sponsor for the Derby race. The Hong Kong Derby is an important once-in-a-lifetime event for the best four-year-old horses in Hong Kong - it is the race that every owner, trainer and jockey wants to win. I’m sure the combined dynamism of BMW and the Derby event will drive this premier local racing occasion to another level.
You will hear more about that after the announcement later today. Tonight at Sha Tin Racecourse some of the form horses will also be in action in our All Weather track meeting there. Among them, the Chak On Handicap is the last and best race of the day! This Class 2 event is run over 1200m with an expected good pace. It should give every horse a chance to perform at its best. Having said that, both Horse Galore from Gate 11 and Charity Spirit from Gate 10 would have to use some energy to go across in front of Masquerader and Bould Mover. Simple, Windicator Power, Amigo and Earl Of Leitrim should be well placed, with Frederick Engels having to come from the back of the field. Simple is working extremely well and has trialed impressively on the All Weather surface. He will be the horse to beat for me in this race. Frederick Engels is working well too and has a good chance to be placed as well as Bould Mover and Amigo.
Comment
