Today Hong Kong celebrates Buddha’s birthday and with it Cheung Chau’s famous bun festival – or more correctly the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival. Having lived in Hong Kong for 18 years, I really appreciate how Hong Kong keeps alive its age-old traditions. In fact the festival now features on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage which also includes the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, Tai O Traditional Dragon Boat Water Parade and Yu Lan Ghost Festival, all supported by the Club. This year the Club will once again be covering the cost of building the three traditional bun towers and producing 20,000 hand-made ping an buns for distribution to elderly and local residents. Ping an means health and well-being, and of course we wish everyone who receives one the very best of happiness!
The latest edition of the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings was released this week and it was great to see that the winners of two of our recent spring features were well rated. Maurice, the only overseas-based horse to win both the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile and Champions Mile in the same season, earned a rating of 124 for his success a fortnight ago. Maurice received a 121 following a narrow win in December and clearly progressed off that effort with a sensational first-up win back in Hong Kong. He is currently being prepared via quarantine for the Yasuda Kinen, where he is likely to meet the Champions Mile second, last season’s Most Improved Horse in Hong Kong, Contentment.
Werther, our BMW Hong Kong Derby winner and so impressive in his 4 ½ length romp in the Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup was also given a mark of 124 for the performance while Chautauqua, winner of the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, remains the world’s top-rated sprinter following his Hong Kong success, holding at 121.
As I have said many times before, the commitment of the Club to fostering world-class racing is unwavering, and our phenomenal spring features, and their subsequent accolades by way of these updated world rankings, go a long way towards asserting that. It is particularly pleasing to see our Hong Kong Derby winner feted with such a strong mark as Werther has really thrived in Hong Kong, never worse than second from five runs, and seemingly improving as the season progresses. He is one of the select entries for next week’s Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup, and it will be fascinating to see how he handles the 2,400-metre stamina test.
I must add that my personal interest in racing and breeding has always been with the stayers as in Europe, particularly France and Germany, the opportunities and prize money are greater. It was very pleasing on Thursday to see my horse Now We Can run second just beaten a neck in a listed race in Lyon. This was his third start following an injury which required nearly two years off and it was pleasing to see him go so close, especially on going rated very soft. He will likely now go to a long distance race in New York, which would be his second career trip to North America after being beaten less than two lengths in the Group 1 Canadian International in 2013.
Today’s meeting at Sha Tin includes the Hong Kong Riding for the Disabled Association Cup (Handicap) and several of our races are named after the public riding schools in Hong Kong. The opportunities offered through the RDA, now in its 41st year of operation, are invaluable to members of our community in need of the therapeutic benefits that can achieved through a connection with horses and ponies. I congratulate the RDA on their decades of service to Hong Kong.
Today’s tenth race is the Pok Fu Lam Reservoir Road Handicap, a Class 2 run over 1,800m of the C+3 course. The pace situation is a bit unclear as there are few absolutely confirmed leaders, and could lead to a slow pace. Up And Coming, McQueen and Racing Hero could all go forward, though without a strong commitment to lead. Supreme Profit took advantage on the front end last time and could try that again. Regardless, Sergeant Titanium and Basic Trilogy should each secure solid mid-pack trips while the likes of Happilababy and Gonna Run should settle well off the pace. Berlini, seeking three straight, has done it both from off the pace and pushing forward. This is a very competitive race and many are in with a chance.
My main win and place hope is Sergeant Titanium. After a wide trip on soft going which he did not seem to appreciate, he has a better draw this time and has done little wrong since getting into peak fitness. While his best work has been done at 1,600 this season, the projected slow pace could help him to land a fifth win of the season. Basic Trilogy steps back in trip and is well drawn again for Moreira. A winner over 1800 at Happy Valley, he is a placing chance for me. Anticipation is also a placing chance after six previous placings this season from nine races, including two solid seconds at this trip.
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