We had an exciting finale to the 1O1O Million Challenge on Wednesday at Happy Valley, and I really enjoyed following the developments as the lead changed hands twice during the evening. Bullish Boy led the series entering the final meeting and looked set to secure the win bonus as he broke clear in the final straight in race four. But Pleasure Gains had other ideas and sped past his opponent in the final 100m to win, and took over at the top of the leaderboard. But it was Rainbow Fighter who had the final say as he emerged victorious in race eight to overtake Pleasure Gains and claim the overall series. In the process he also became the second Million Challenge winner saddled by trainer Derek Cruz.
While there were a few late twists in the Million Challenge finale, things were pretty straightforward for the German national football team when they hosted Chile in an international friendly in Stuttgart midweek. Mario Goetze, an old boy with my home team Monchengladbach, scored the only goal of the match in the first half to win the match for Die Mannschaft. With it being the last official match before the World Cup squad is announced in late May, the team’s performance was acceptable but I would say they need to improve in defense, as well as increasing their firepower up front if they are to have a better chance in Brazil. I hope they will address these areas and improve in the upcoming months.
As most major football leagues in Europe end in mid-May, the Germany team will still have some time to rectify these issues, and for the players to develop better teamwork before setting off to Brazil for the tournament. Needless to say, such pre-tournament preparations and tune-ups will be crucial for every one of the 32 teams participating in the World Cup.
Similarly, in racing, it’s also crucial for horses to have sound preparation before they take on a major challenge, no matter if they are on their home turf or overseas. Rich Tapestry will be the first Hong Kong runner to race aboard in 2014 when he features in the G3 Mahab Al Shimaal during the Super Saturday meeting at Meydan tonight. If he runs well, the hope is that he will secure a starting berth in the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on 29 March.
I understand that the horse has maintained his good condition after arriving Dubai early this week. His handler Michael Chang is confident that with a good draw in gate five, his horse has a chance of running into a place. Hong Kong horses have enjoyed some decent results at the Dubai World Cup meeting in recent years, but we have also had good results in lead-up races at the Carnival too, with the notable example being Dynamic Blitz’s success in the Al Shindagha Sprint in 2011. You can join me in supporting Rich Tapestry through our simulcast this evening, when the post time of his race is 10.25pm. By the way, you will also be able to follow the latest performances of some of the overseas horses who are likely to face our Hong Kong runners at the Dubai World Cup fixture in three weeks’ time.
As usual, tomorrow we have arranged a Sha Tin meeting, with seven races on turf and three on the all-weather track. I will pay attention to promising newcomer Soul Achiever, as well as Jolly Posh, Supreme Flight and Graceful Kingdom in the Yan Oi Tong Cup, which is featured as Race 6 at 1400 metres. Soul Achiever makes his career debut after a good preparation that included winning two trials in New Zealand before coming to Hong Kong five months ago. Douglas Whyte has done the work in three Hong Kong trials on Soul Achiever and gets the ride for trainer David Hall, who has enjoyed some of his best success over this course and distance. Jolly Posh adds blinkers tomorrow and is showing improvement lately, including a solid effort when making ground in these same conditions two weeks ago. Supreme Flight has yet to run a place in eight races this season, but dropped to Class 4 in January and has a good draw. I look for him to improve as he should be able to dictate the pace. Graceful Kingdom is a last start winner at class, course and distance, and there is nothing to suggest that he should not be fighting it out in the finish. These are the four horses that stand out in this handicap.
In Race 8, the Singapore Turf Club Trophy for Class 2 runners over the straight 1000 metre course, Divine Ten has a big chance to become a four-time winner over the course and distance this season. He owns the fastest time of the season, 55.59 seconds, when winning last month and has looked good winning a dirt trial 12 days ago. He is doing everything right and looks like a true rising star in Hong Kong racing. Charity Spirit appears to be the one horse that might give Divine Ten a true test, as he is coming off a smart win at Happy Valley and seems to do his best work over the 1000 metre trip. Shahjee will be the outsider that should be considered a place chance.
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