The summer break has come to an end and surely much to the delight of all, racing action returns tomorrow as the 2017/18 Hong Kong racing season opens at Sha Tin.
It does look like it will be a rainy day tomorrow and we continue to closely monitor the weather. If the forecast were to worsen, we would make an announcement on Sunday morning, but as of now, we are all anticipating a very competitive ten race card tomorrow.
Summer is always a pleasing time to allow us to recharge the batteries, though I can assure you there is still much work to be done throughout. I spent some time in Europe, and as I shared with you several weeks ago, enjoyed my time visiting our friends in France for our reciprocal races at Deauville. It is always energizing to meet and interact with colleagues from the racing and breeding industries, getting first-hand accounts of the state of the industry and renewing old relationships.
The 2016/17 season was a banner one for the Jockey Club in many ways. As was announced earlier this week, the Club’s total direct return to the community in the last financial year was a record HK$30.5 billion, a 16.9% increase from the previous year. We are always seeking to improve, and following the success of our turnover from commingling last season, we hope to bring that segment of our business to an even higher level.
Our world-class racing received a boost in the offseason when we learned that our application to elevate the Centenary Sprint Cup to Group 1 status was approved. This brings the total number of Group 1 races held in Hong Kong to 12 and is a further testament to how far our racing jurisdiction has grown in the last two decades. It is incredible to think that two decades after our first race was elevated to Group 1 status that Sha Tin Racecourse would be home to more of the world’s Top 100 Group 1 races than any other racecourse on the planet.
The HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup will be the feature of our season opener tomorrow. Seven top class horses will contest in this race, including Blizzard who is aiming for a run next in the G1 Sprinters Stakes in Japan next month. The expected pace of this 1200m Class 1 handicap is good to fast, and Fabulous One seems fastest of all to lead with Shamal chasing. Magic Legend is likely to sit back mid-pack with Blizzard nearby enjoying the hot early tempo. Southern Legend and Seasons Bloom are likely to settle well off the pace. Strathmore should be worse than midfield in the early pace too.
Four out of the seven horses in this field are working very well, especially Blizzard, who showed great speed in his last trial. He is well-prepared for his first start and despite carrying top weight, is a win and place chance.
Magic Legend is working well too and receives 15 pounds from Blizzard, which puts him at a significant advantage. Magic Legend will be ridden by Tommy Berry as the new stable jockey of John Moore and he will be keen to win his first trophy as retained jockey.
Fabulous One has, with Matthew Poon’s seven-pound claim, an even bigger advantage in carrying only 110 pounds, and is working very well too. Matthew has to be mindful not to overuse his speed because his stamina is limited and I see him as a win chance, but more for a placing.
The unknown quantity is Southern Legend, who is another working well and he has handled good-to-yielding going, but is running 10 pounds against the handicap.
Seasons Bloom is ridden by Joao Moreira and the 1200m is normally too short for him, but the fast pace will help him to come into the race. Seasons Bloom had only a short break and Danny Shum has his horses normally well-advanced, which makes him a place chance.
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