In our races on Wednesday we again had an objection case in the last race of the night, which saw runner-up Absolute Fantasy, at the sacrifice of Racing Hero, being promoted to first place after an inquiry by the Stewarding Panel. It was a nervous wait for the owners of both runners as the stewards deliberated before passing judgement. But after the result was shown on the diamond vision screen, members of Racing Hero’s Owner CAAF Syndicate went and congratulated Absolute Fantasy’s owner Lam Tai-fai. I was there on the scene and although it’s natural that the connections of Racing Hero might have been a bit disappointed by the outcome, their gentlemanly gesture fully reflects the great sportsmanship of those engaged in the sport.
The Christmas holidays are almost upon us but in some overseas countries the sporting action will continue during the festivities. One high-profile example is Premier League Football action in England, as all the teams will play four matches within the space of only 11 days, including matches to be held on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Whether teams are at the top of the league table or are fighting relegation battles, it's traditionally a period of crucial importance before the teams gear up for the second half of the season.
The hectic fixtures provide a gruelling test of players' stamina and mental strength, while the teams’ managers are usually forced to find a balance in rotating their squads to keep their players fresh, so as to get the best possible results and maximum points within this important period. I’m sure our football fans in Hong Kong will be paying great attention to these upcoming matches.
Elsewhere in Europe, teams in Spain’s La Liga and Serie A in Italy will be able to enjoy their winter breaks after playing their round of matches this weekend. The break came a bit earlier in my home country Germany, as the Bundesliga entered its winter break last week, before the next scheduled match to be played on 18 January. Borussia Moenchengladbach, the team I support, earned a creditable draw away from home as they frustrated current leaders Bayern Munich last Friday. They made a slow start early in the season but their performances improved considerably recently and they are now unbeaten in five matches. Currently in 8th place, five points adrift of a Champions League berth, I hope they can perform even better and charge higher up the league in the second half of the season.
Similar to the Bundesliga, on the racing front, we can enjoy a short break in the local racing programme during the Christmas holidays following today's races at Sha Tin as the next race meeting will be scheduled six days later on 28 December. It is an arrangement that will give most who are working in different positions in racing, as well as our racing fans, a chance to enjoy their holiday together with family and friends. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and I hope you all have a warm and sweet holiday with your loved ones!
Before heading off to enjoy the Christmas festivities, I have also made my analysis on today's races, in the hope that it might help you pick a winner and make your holidays even more enjoyable.
The Cheung Shan Handicap is a very competitive Class 2 event over 1400m, with an expected good to fast pace which gives horses coming from behind midfield a good chance to give a chase. Real Supreme is likely to lead but he may be challenged by last time winner King Of Reason. Another bunch of runners like Pretty One from Gate 11, Regency King from Gate 8, Fleet Command from Gate 6 and Green Eagle from Gate 4 will compete for good positions, creating an expected good to fast pace as mentioned before. Green Eagle and Tour De Force should find a good position in midfield, with Sea Diamond and Flash Knight being positioned behind midfield and from the back of the field. Green Eagle is in good form and is working very well. He’s one of my picks to win the race. His main opponent is Tour De Force who is working very well too and should not have an issue to step up to 1400m, as well as making his first run in Class 2. Flash Knight is working very well and is a win and place chance as is Sea Diamond who was very impressive in his last run – his first up of this season.
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