I’m sure those of you who watched our Singapore Airlines International Cup day simulcast on Sunday will have felt as ecstatic as I did as I watched Hong Kong runners winning the evening’s two G1 races for the second consecutive year. I was fortunate enough to have been at Kranji racecourse and before the main races I met some of our Singapore friends, most of whom gave me a definite sense that their expectations were high regarding the Hong Kong runners, perhaps based on our performances there last season.
So with confidence high, it came down to whether our top horses could deliver again this year. They answered emphatically. Firstly, Lucky Nine repeated what he had done last year to land the KrisFlyer International Sprint. If you have recapped the race replays of Lucky Nine’s victories for the past two years, you might have wondered if you were watching the same video twice. Just like 12 months ago, Brett Prebble positioned his horse in the box seat behind the pacesetter, and the horse produced a thumping dash in the home straight to win the race in the same easy manner, if not even easier.
I feel delighted for Caspar Fownes and Prebble as the win showcased great training and riding efforts by both of them, especially when you think that the horse seems as good as ever at the age of seven. I learnt that Caspar intends to take Lucky Nine to Japan for the G1 Sprinters Stakes, which will move to Niigata Racecourse this year and be held in early October. The unknown factor of a new track is probably not an issue for Lucky Nine as he is such an honest horse and has finished in the top five in seven of his past nine runs overseas. Hopefully he will freshen up nicely this summer and produce the same exciting performances next season.
Less than an hour after Lucky Nine, another of Hong Kong’s most talented and honest runners landed the big prize in Singapore as Dan Excel excelled in the SIA Cup. This warrior horse always shows a strong will to win and is utterly consistent in races from 1400m to 2000m. He has been placed in many of our big races this season so it was great to see him claim the victory this time in Singapore, giving his owner David Boehm and trainer John Moore some lucrative returns in the process.
Dan Excel’s jockey Tommy Berry showed some strong emotion after the race and I’m sure many racing fans can relate to that. His twin brother Nathan became seriously ill when riding in Singapore in March and later passed away. Tommy pointed skywards as he was led in after the victory and dedicated this win to his late brother. It was indeed a very touching moment.
Following our sensational double at the Dubai World Cup meeting two months ago, it is gratifying that we were able to repeat the feat in Singapore to continue an amazing year so far for Hong Kong racing. I think it has shown the quality of our top horses and underlined the fact that our jockeys and trainers are absolutely world-class too, producing our best horses to carry their top form from home to the international stage. It will also make the season-ending awards really interesting, especially when you think that we now have three sprinters – namely Lucky Nine, Sterling City and Amber Sky – who have all won international Group 1 races.
Returning to our local races, some of our form horses at Happy Valley will be eager to get the best results as we have only three remaining Happy Valley race meetings this season. These include the French Day race meeting at the Valley tonight. Apart from the various French-themed performances and attractions on course, I will be paying my attention to the Le French May Trophy (Handicap), which is run as a Class 3 over 1000m. With the rain continuing during the day, the track should be rated yielding which may cause some surprises. The pace should be good to fast with leaders like Fun ’N’ Games, Sight Believer and Speedy Sandy in the race, while London Walk and Harbour Punk may apply further pressure on the leaders. Sight Believer is working well and is my first pick, with London Walk and Fun 'N' Games being my other choices. Harbour Punk as a newcomer is showing good speed in trials and he’s a place chance in this race.
The France Galop Cup is a Class 2 handicap over 1800m and has attracted a very competitive field. The pace is expected to be good to slow with Approve and Winnie's Horse leading, which will be an advantage on the C+3 course we are running on tonight. Chater Dream and Flying Elite should be well positioned behind the pace, with Formula Won and Jolly Victor close up behind. Flying Elite and Formula Won are my choices for the win while Approve, Winnie's Horse and Jolly Victor as place chances.
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