After Peniaphobia won the HKG1 Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup last Sunday, the horse’s trainer Tony Cruz put forward the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen as the number one option after the horse’s next intended start in the HKG1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize two weeks later. A few racing columnists expressed that the four-year-old should instead stay at home and target the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup over 1400m in an attempt to win the HK$5 million extra bonus offered to any horse that can achieve a clean sweep in all three legs of the Hong Kong Speed Series.
As the Club’s CEO, I’m happy to see our elite sprint division strengthened this season with Peniaphobia rising to prominence at the same time as the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint winner Aerovelocity. They have put together some world class performances in major local races over the past two months.
With the upgrade of four more HKG1 events to international G1 level starting from this season, we now have a total of 10 international G1 events available for our top runners at home. The latest promotion of these races reflected that the standard of top pattern events in Hong Kong has been further acknowledged by the racing world, and that it also offers more opportunities for Hong Kong horses demonstrating their immense talent to the world, not at anywhere else but on our home soil.
It has also apparent that more and more overseas horse connections, media and fans agree that the G1 racing in Hong Kong is now of strong world-class quality. Many of them told me that they would like to see more of their top-tier runners challenge for the G1 events in Hong Kong.
With an increased in prize money for our G1 races and the various top-class events this season, this will further incentivise local owners to import more top quality runners to Hong Kong, as well as attract top overseas runners to come to Hong Kong and contest our international G1 races here.
Last season, we had five of our races in the top 50 Group 1 races in the world. This year’s opening of more of our races to overseas competitors would likely lead the figure, within a year or two, to go up to six in top 50 and even nine in the top 100. If you compare this with countries like Great Britain with 15 races in the top 50; Ireland with one race; France and the USA each with eight races, and Australia with six, it is a significant achievement and is a recognition of the quality of racing in Hong Kong, having in mind the total number of G1 races held in each of these countries.
In this respect, I have a different view from our trainer John Moore who opined that Able Friend has to go outside of Hong Kong to be recognised like Silent Witness in the world racing scene. The situation today is different from a decade ago, and I therefore well understand Mr Cornel Li's reluctance to go to Dubai during the prime season in Hong Kong with the Champions Mile as next target which ranked 42 among the world’s top 50 with an average rating of 118.5 according to the 2013 World's Best Racehorse Rankings.
The Dubai Turf, formerly the Dubai Duty Free, is run over 1800m and Able Friend who is now the highest rated miler in the world in training may find the 1800m a stretch of his stamina and not being his best distance as evidenced in last year’s Hong Kong Classic Cup when he was outstayed by Designs On Rome over the 1800m distance.
I believe a lot of racing fans, like me, would like to see more local and overseas elite runners to set Hong Kong as their main target and showcase their best in the coming months. While we are looking forward to see the G1 races in action, tomorrow’s races at Sha Tin are equally exciting.
For the 10 races on the card, the Yau Oi Handicap is a Class 2 1600m event with an unusual handicap range of 90 to 70. It has attracted a full field, especially eight four-year-olds who hope to be eligible to run in the BMW Hong Kong Derby. The pace is expected to be good with regular leader Club Life joined by Contentment, who may push forward to overcome his wide draw. With France Valour, Fat Choy Hong Kong, Celestial Smile and Chater Dream competing for good spots off the pace, Anticipation and Horse Of Fortune should be well placed near the rails. Redkirk Warrior will have to come from the back but he showed very good finishing speed in his last start. He is working well and is one of the win and place chances. My favourite, despite the wide gate, is Contentment. He’s working very well and I am not concerned for him stepping up in distance from 1400m to 1600m. One of the other dangers for these four-year-olds is Celestial Smile who is in great form. Renaissance Art and Horse Of Fortune are two other four-year-olds who are improving and could run a place.
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