We have almost reached the end of our current racing season with only the finale meeting at Sha Tin racecourse remaining. Anyone thinking tomorrow’s concluding race day will be a quiet wind down before the summer holidays is very much mistaken though! It promises to be a really exciting occasion and a fitting finale to what I think is probably the best racing season Hong Kong has ever had.
I do not make that statement lightly either. This season we will report record racing turnover again as we have broken through the HK$100 billion mark for the first time; our top horses and horsemen enjoyed outstanding successes on some of the world’s biggest stages, both locally and aboard; and we hosted a successful and informative Asian Racing Conference, which I am sure will prove to be a significant driver for positive developments in the sport globally.
These are exciting times for Hong Kong racing but it’s important that we never take our foot off the gas. Competition to attract the world’s top horses to the major racing jurisdictions has become fiercer. That’s why we have had an eye fixed on next season for some time, to see what we could do to maintain or enhance Hong Kong’s attraction so that the world’s best racehorses come to contest our top events. It’s also been on our minds to act to recognise further the huge support of local owners, and to incentivise them to continue purchasing quality imports to improve racing in Hong Kong.
Earlier this week we announced significant prize money increases to our international races for next season. A total of HK$19 million of prize money will be added to the six international G1 events already in our racing calendar. After the increases, the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (at HK$18.5m) and LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (at HK$23m) will become the richest sprint and richest turf mile events in the world, while the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (at HK$25m) will become the world’s second richest 2000m turf event. By lifting the purses for these prestigious races, we believe we have further enhanced the premier branding of our international events, and consolidated the status of the Hong Kong International Races as the Turf World Championships.
Other good news - and this is really very exciting news - is that as well as these six races, four HKG1 events have been promoted to International G1 status for next season, namely all three legs of the Hong Kong Triple Crown – the Stewards’ Cup, the Citibank Hong Kong Gold Cup and the Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup - as well as the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup. Accordingly we have increased their prize money from HK$8 million to HK$10 million each.
For a number of years it has been our strategic aim to bring the best horses, trainers and jockeys in the world to Hong Kong for our most important turf races and these announcements reinforce the fact that we are still very focused on that goal. Actually, if you refer to the average ratings of winners and place-getters over the past few seasons, the four newly upgraded races have qualified for international G1 status for some time. In fact, they could potentially be ranked among the top 50 G1 races in the world. On that basis, it was a relatively straightforward decision for the Asian Pattern Committee to approve the promotion of these races to international G1. This of course opens them up to foreign competition, so we now have 10 International Group 1 races, which is a notable achievement given our population of only 1,200 horses. With the promotions now secured, we are confident it will strengthen our position on the world stage, as owners and breeders will see the value of racing the sport’s star horses in Hong Kong and getting due international recognition for doing that.
A host of Hong Kong’s own star horses who shone on both local and international stages this past season were recognised for their outstanding achievements during the Champion Awards presentation ceremony last night. Topping them all was Designs On Rome who won the coveted Horse of the Year title for Owner Cheng Keung Fai and trainer John Moore. I was delighted to watch this exciting young prospect win three G1s / HKG1s and develop into a top international horse this season, and evidently many of you were too as he was also voted the Most Popular Horse of the Year. It’s a great thing to have such a star horse coming through and hopefully he and other top horses can flourish and notch more international honours next season.
Zac Purton and Dicky Lui have sealed their Champion Jockey and Champion Apprentice Jockey titles, but John Size and Caspar Fownes are split by one win in an intense duel for the Champion Trainer title. John has two more second-place finishes than Caspar – which may be decisive if countback is needed in the event of a tie – so the results of every one of their runners could be vital tomorrow.
John has deployed a troop of 11 on seven races tomorrow, while Caspar has engaged in all 11 races on the card with a total of 12 runners coming from his stable. Personally I will be putting my focus on the Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy (Handicap), which is run as a Class 2 over 1400m. The race has attracted a rising star in Luger who is going up into Class 2, and facing some proven Class 2 performers for the first time in his young career.
Sea Diamond placed second after setting a fast tempo over this trip last time and is likely to go forward to overcome wide draw. Multivictory who is also drawn wide may join Sea Diamond up front too. Dr Good Habit is likely to be well placed in the box seat on the inside of None Other. Dining World and Ho In One will both be placed in midfield, while Luger with his wide draw is expected to go back. Apparently Cour Valant and Victory Master are likely to apply the same tactic.
Luger is one of the most exciting 3-year-olds of the season. Despite going up into Class 2 this time, he’s for me the horse to beat due to his finishing speed. Sea Diamond is coming back to his best and will be a tough opponent for Luger. Dining World, Ho In One and Victory Master are all with chances for place finish in my opinion.
As for the World Cup, many viewed the match between Germany and France last night as the most eye-catching encounter in the quarterfinal stage. Before the match I expected it to be a close call, and that the French team would take us to extra time but that Germany could sneak through. But to my delight, as the match proceeded things looked easier for Germany, as defender Mats Hummels headed in the only goal of the match early in the first half. But with the hot and humid condition in Rio, and the match being kicked off at 1pm Brazilian time, it posed a big challenge to both European teams. Some players looked flat out towards the end of the match, especially the last 10 minutes. Even both Thomas Muller and Andre Schurrle missed good chances of adding a second goal. Anyway, it’s pleasing to see Germany managed to win in the regulation time.
Now they will face Brazil in the semi-final on Tuesday night. This is the fourth consecutive World Cup which saw Germany reaching the semi-final stage. Having finished as runners-up in Japan and Korea in 2002, and twice for third at home in Germany in 2006 and last time in South Africa in 2010, I hope Germany can win it this time. For sure I will be cheering for them for the chance to proceed to the final at then.
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