Some of you might remember that earlier this year the Club announced a HK$500 million five-year career and life planning programme, with the aim of helping local youths - regardless of their education or family backgrounds - to realise their potential and develop confidence in themselves. Yesterday I was pleased to attend an event of similar nature, with participants being the ethnic minority youths who are living in Hong Kong.
The event was a day camp hosted by the Hong Kong Children and Youth Service (HKCYS), one of the 13 founding members of the Club’s community partners network. In all, 550 youths attended from seven local districts. In fact the event was part of a seven-month life planning education programme designed to serve ethnic minority youths. The organisers arranged some great activities for the participants: orienteering games, interactive sharing and fun horse riding sessions. I was invited, along with the CARE volunteers from the Club, to share my experiences and some of the perhaps more interesting moments I have had as an expatriate living here in Hong Kong for the past 17 years.
Those attending students 
appeared to be a bit shy in the first instance, but after the ice broke they were very engaged. Some of the participating students showed a great deal of interest in the Club and my job as the CEO. They asked me questions like when did I start planning my career, and are there any job opportunities available for ethnic minorities in the Club. Most interestingly, a participant even asked me if he can be the Club’s CEO in the future! Many of the boys were also cricket fans and very passionate on this sport. It shows again how important a sport is for character building and social integration. Unfortunately we have not had enough sports grounds in Hong Kong to cater their needs. Anyway, it was nice to see these bright and proactive young people, who clearly have great aspirations and hopes for the future.
Following that I 
also visited a youth centre as run by the HKCYS at Happy Valley, also chatting with some ethnic minority and local children who were joining a carnival there. Those ethnic minority children were also very generous as they offered me to try some delicacy and special drinks as from their respective country. I must admit that their food and drinks were all really tasty! There I also discussed with the students about the issue of racial discrimination and how we could tackle it. I was very impressed by their views and aspirations, and the session showed how important it is to understand the different values and cultures to build a harmonious society.
Most of the youngsters 
and their parents who participated on both events seemed to enjoy the day and I hope my sharing was in some way helpful to them. The sessions were certainly helpful for me, too. As through the chat I was able to learn more about their cultures as well as the difficulties and challenges they encounter in their daily lives. I noticed that they were mostly, to some degree, tri-lingual. Most could speak in their mother language, could speak fluent English and had a fair grasp of Cantonese. I think their multi-language ability could be to their advantage and could prove to be a real asset to Hong Kong in the future. I look forward to seeing more opportunities for them in all areas.
Turning to racing, it has been an eventful few days. On Thursday we announced the list of selected runners for the Audemars Piguet QEII Cup at the end of this month. Defending champion Designs On Rome willlead the nine-strong Hong Kong team to take up the challenge against four overseas raiders, including Hong Kong Cup third Criterion and past Hong Kong Vase winner Red Cadeaux, who just achieved a one-two finish in our simulcast race, the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Randwick today.
There was also great news late on Thursday when the latest Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings were unveiled. Able Friend, fresh from winning the HKG2 Chairman’s Trophy earlier this week, became the first Hong Kong horse to attain the top spot in this official international ranking, with a rating of 125, the same as the top US runner Shared Belief. Having a racehorse to become the world’s No 1, it’s a great achievement and an important milestone for Hong Kong racing. It again reflected the top-class status of our races and racehorses globally, and was a vindication of our world class racing strategy.
Life is full of ups and downs. On a sad note, I was saddened to learn about the passing of former trainer Lawrie Fownes on Thursday. He was one of the first trainers I met when I came to work here in Hong Kong. Many older racing fans would well remember him for being a trainer who always delivered good results early in the season. To me Lawrie was a great gentleman and a very respectful horseman, who was incredibly devoted to his profession and to the sport. In his later years as a trainer, he was a great mentor to his son Caspar. Everybody can see what a wonderful influence Lawrie has been to Caspar, and that is reflected professionally in Caspar’s three Champion Trainer titles.
Lawrie’s passing is a sad loss for Hong Kong racing. I would like to express my condolences to the Fownes family. In memory of Lawrie our colleagues are preparing a short video about his achievements and that will be shown at the racecourse tomorrow. If you are going to our races, you can also join us to commemorate Lawrie’s life tomorrow.
As for the 11 races on the card, one of the featured races is the Beijing Clubhouse Anniversary Cup (Handicap) which will be run as Race 8. Why Why looks to be a win and place chance off his solid form this season with two wins from four starts, and a solid second in his most recent run. He will be forwardly placed in the race and may possibly make the running as the pace is expected to be moderate. Amber Dragon is a last-start winner and seems to be better suited over this trip. He is a place chance along with Our Folks and Marvel Tribe.
The seventh race is the Kowloon Cricket Club Centenary Cup over 2200m, where the consistent Industrialist Way gets another chance to break a string of third-place finishes as an each way chance. He handles the trip and comes into the race in good form. Ambassadorship is an outsider with a place chance, carrying a light weight. Photon Willie and Best Show are also in with a solid chance over this staying distance.
The third and final Cup race of the day is the Lusitano Challenge Cup, which goes as Race 10 with in-form horses such as Super Talent, Too Fast and Charity Kingdom heading a strong line-up. Each of these three horses are at their best over the course and distance and there is not much between them and they share similar running styles, preferring to come from midfield or the back. Noble Alpha is another runner to consider as a place chance as he seems to be coming back in form and should be running on through the concluding stages.
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