It’s always great to see a young rider delivering good results and showing growing confidence at his craft. At Happy Valley on Wednesday, apprentice jockey Matthew Poon showed his statement of intent for the new season, having ridden the first four-timer of his Hong Kong career. By doing so he also became only the third local apprentice jockey in the last 20 years, after Keith Yeung and Kei Chiong, to ride a quartet of wins in a single race day.
With his four wins Matthew also showed he is very tactically astute. His last winner atop Inventor was a perfect example as he steered his mount for a mid-race move to take the lead, before galloping home to secure a comfortable victory. It was a stellar start for Matthew, who has now had six wins on the board in the new season, a clear third in the early premiership race. I’m sure many racing fans will continue to pay attention to his rides and performances.
Amongst our more veteran riders, jockey Karis Teetan is also off to a very good start as well, sitting in second early with eight wins from four meetings, behind only our three-time champion Joao Moreira who has ten wins. Racing in Hong Kong is so incredibly competitive and we have a truly world-class jockey roster. It will be fun to watch the progression of the jockeys’ premiership chase throughout the season.
Some of you may have seen the statement we made earlier this week regarding the decision of the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to suspend direct exports from Hong Kong, which will also impact any temporary exports thus eliminating the participation of Australian horses for our international races. We find this very disappointing. The implications are not insignificant, particularly for our retired horses. For example, Rich Tapestry is one of the retired horses who was supposed to go out on the next shipment to Australia and now his connections are seeking a new retirement home. Imagine if former world’s best sprinter Silent Witness, who lives at the famous Living Legends retirement farm would, were he in this shipment, be prevented from retiring there?
The implications for our international races will be that we have no Australian runners, which is not only disappointing for us, but for owners and trainers in Australia, practically depriving them of the chance to compete on the world stage and showcase the quality of Australian racing. A horse like Chautauqua, who won our Chairman’s Sprint Prize in 2016, will likely not get any additional global recognition. I know, for example, that trainer David Hayes had earmarked some of his sprinters to come to Hong Kong.
It is very difficult to understand why the DAWR made this decision because, as stated, they were fully aware of our horse trials from Sha Tin to Conghua, which are under the control of both Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland authorities responsible for overseeing animal health and quarantine. These trials occur using sealed HKJC lorries with GPS tracking through an internationally recognised Equine Disease Free Zone. The EDFZ is designed to ensure our horses have no contact with other animals, particularly horses. Hopefully, the authorities, particularly the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), can convince their counterparts in Australia to review their decision based on facts and science.
A ten race card is on tap today at Sha Tin and the feature is race seven, the Chinese Recreation Club Challenge Cup, a Class 2 handicap over the straight 1000m course. I wanted to look particularly at today’s ninth race, the Tailorbird Handicap, a very competitive Class 3 also over the 1000m where the pace is likely to be good to fast. Top Beautiful was very impressive on debut when going forward and Beauty Master and Ace King should both go forward too. Money Boy and Sunshine Universe will likely settle behind. Hair Trigger should get a midpack spot.
Top Beautiful is the choice of Joao Moreira and is working very well, which makes him my first choice. He seems to be very talented, but went up 11 pounds for his debut win in a very good time. The fact that he has already had his first start of the season, a run under the belt, should not be underestimated. Money Boy, ridden by in-form Karis Teetan, and Hair Trigger, which is the horse who beat Money Boy at the season opening meeting, are his main opponents with their fitness advantage.
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