Some of you may remember that two weeks ago I wrote here about a few home-grown jockeys who had made a great start to the season. Well, that initial success wasn’t a flash in the pan. Those riders are continuing do exceptionally well and at our Sha Tin race meeting last Saturday they won six of the 10 races on the card.
Vincent Ho and Eddy Lai had three winners between them onboard outsiders. They showed all that even their runners were not so fancied by most racing fans, they still managed to deliver their best out of their mounts. Vincent’s winning double not only won him the day’s Jockey Challenge, it also took his tally for the season to five, ranking him fourth in the jockey standings. I have heard many people express their concerns in the past few months that local riders would find it tough to get results and struggle for quality rides due to the huge competition from their overseas counterparts, so it is pleasing to see that they are doing well. I think it’s fair to say that the local riders have worked as hard as any other jockeys - we know that Vincent, Alvin Ng and Derek Leung all went overseas this summer to hone their skills - and I think that having world class riders in competition here can only assist their development. I’m sure most racing fans will be rooting for them to continue their form and their fighting spirit throughout the season.
After today’s meeting at Sha Tin, Joao Moreira will be heading to Sydney to participate in the Epsom Handicap raceday on Saturday, as Champion trainer Chris Waller has offered him quality rides in the day’s big races. When talking with Australian media earlier, Waller mentioned his philosophy of getting the best available jockey for his horses. He revealed that he first thought of getting our champion Zac Purton for his Epsom Handicap hope He’s Your Man, but after he realized Zac couldn’t make the weight, Joao was the obvious choice. The fact that his first two choices were two of our best riders is a clear indication of the respect the world’s leading horsemen have for our jockeys rank.
Besides jockeys, there’s also a Hong Kong horse who has just set off overseas to the USA. Rich Tapestry has arrived in California to prepare for his two races in the States, firstly the G1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship this Saturday. It’s great to learn from trainer Michael Chang that the horse is in fine form after the long trip, and that the horse did some light work right after arriving at Santa Anita on Monday local time. I learnt that Michael will sharpen up the horse with a gallop on Thursday. Hopefully all goes well for the horse as he prepares to become the first Hong Kong horse since River Verdon to compete in the States.
Not too long after Rich Tapestry will make his seasonal debut in California, Sterling City, his conqueror in the Dubai Golden Shaheen in March, will make his at Sha Tin in our HKG3 National Day Cup this afternoon. Gold-Fun and Ambitious Dragon are among the past winners of this race, and many other top Hong Kong horses have taken in this contest as their first-up runs. This year we have changed the race distance to 1000m, so a group of dynamic top sprinters will be in line for the race. Similar to many past runners, each of them will also be vying for a starting berth in the international races in December. Sterling City will also be facing another Dubai winner – Al Quoz Sprint hero Amber Sky, who will be ridden by Joao today and looked sharp when he ran first in a barrier trial last week. Rad, the unbeaten and lightly-raced speedster also looks likely to be a formidable opponent. Adding that the handicap nature of the race, it appears not to be a far from straightforward contest and I believe these quality sprinters will produce a fascinating race.
Having said that, I think Amber Sky from gate 7 should be able to outpace his opponents and drift over to the outside fence. He will be difficult to run down despite having to carry a weight of 132 pounds. Rad is the most likely challenger as he just needs to carry 113 pounds, also Bundle Of Joy who carries the same weight. Being a 1000m specialist, Go Baby Go is an interesting outsider that one should not underestimate.
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