I'm sure that German nationals all over the world will have relished the incredible match last Saturday in which Germany thrashed Argentina 4-0 in the quarter-finals of the World Cup. Even as a committed fan of Germany myself, I must admit that the comprehensive nature of the victory came to me as a total surprise. It was the largest winning margin by Germany at the World Cup knockout stage for more than 40 years, the last being a 4-0 win over Uruguay in the 1966 tournament.
Like many other football fans before kick-off, I was only cautiously optimistic about the chances of this young German team progressing further, as their opponents were apparently stronger and technically superior. Argentinean players like Lionel Messi, Carlos Tevez and Gonzalo Higuain are top class players that any team would find it hard to contain.
I think there’s no doubt that the early goal scored by Thomas Müller made the rest of the game far easier for Die Mannschaft. The players are very disciplined and showed great determination in holding off the Argentinean attack, then performed wonderfully in the counter-attack, as they did previously against England. It was truly an incredible performance and, as German team coach Joachim Low said after the match, I think the team really did play like champions.
Now, Germany are through to the semi-final, where later tonight they will play European champions Spain for a place in the final. The suspension of Müller for this tie will be a great test for the characters of other key players like Bastian Schweinsteiger and Miroslav Klose. It’s really a difficult match for me to call, as you may remember that I earlier predicted Spain to be one of my top favourites for the title this year. But Germany are in brilliant form, so my national pride wins the day and I hope they can progress to the final tonight.
Also in brilliant form is perennial champion Douglas Whyte, who is currently in a keen contest with Brett Prebble for this season’s Hong Kong Jockeys’ Championship. In recent weeks, both Douglas and Brett have been very diligent and determined in garnering support from different trainers and Owners. At the same time, they have shown great sportsmanship in their efforts to achieve the best possible results.
Many of you have given recognition to your favourite racing stars by casting votes for the Most Popular Horse and Most Popular Jockey. I would like to offer my thanks for your strong support. My colleagues are now busy on vote counting, and this Sunday you will find out whether your preferred rider or runner has earned one of these coveted titles this season.
When I checked our provisional online voting results for Most Popular Jockey up to 30 June, Douglas was leading Brett by a slender margin of six percentage points, at 40 to 34 per cent. In the actual jockey’s standing, Lady Luck is also on Douglas’ side as he achieved a 4-0 scoreline against Brett at Sha Tin meeting last Sunday. The quadruple has enabled Douglas to regain pole position, and he now holds a three-win advantage.
For the contest of Champion Apprentice, it has been equally exciting as Keith Yeung is now holding off Ben So by the slender margin of two wins.
I’m delighted to see that this season's contests for both Champion Jockey and Champion Apprentice have been the most closely fought for several years. This healthy competition demonstrates how many jockeys with great credentials we have in our current line-up. I believe both these wonderful battles will go right down to the final night, and will continue to be a talking point among racing fans well after the end of the season.
All of the jockeys concerned have competitive rides in tonight's eight-race programme at Happy Valley. Among them, I think Brett Prebble’s Perfect Gear holds a good chance in the Clear Water Bay Handicap. Brett has to make up ground on Douglas if he wants to keep his chance for the Jockey’s Championship alive. With an expected normal pace, I think this four-year-old, who won emphatically at the same course and distance a fortnight ago, can get a perfect position and get to the rail from Gate 7. Let’s see if he can bring a winner for Brett tonight.
His main opponents should be Easy Winner, as this three-year-old ran nicely in all his three runs over the past few weeks. For the light-weighted Shanghai Pioneer, although he was drawn wide at Gate 12, due to the lack of early speed, he should be able to go up front and crossed the field without using too much energy.
In the Cafeteria Handicap, it will be a fierce competition between Douglas on Interchina Star and Brett on Happy Tumbler. I prefer Happy Tumbler a bit more as he is able to settle in a good striking position behind midfield.
For the Hap Mun Bay Handicap, the race is expected to be run at a fast pace. Brett’s mount Silver Sun will probably get under pressure from other frontrunners like My Mate Adric and Gilded Flight, and this may affect his performance. Comparatively, this situation may favour Douglas’ ride Royal Knight as he can get a good position in midfield and give a strong run on the straight. Let’s see if this Sean Wood-trained runner can maintain his decent form this evening.
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