It has been a dramatic few days on the global racing front, with Newmarket staging Britain’s first Classics of the season and America locked in debate about a controversial finish to the Kentucky Derby.
Events at a stormy Churchill Downs on Saturday made headlines in an unprecedented way as the Derby winner Maximum Security was demoted to 17th for causing interference coming off the final bend.
It was the first time in the race’s 145-year history that the first horse past the post had been demoted for an in-race infraction and, with talk of appeals and possible legal action, it seems the fallout is set to continue.
America still abides by “Category Two” rules which state that any horse who causes interference may be placed behind the sufferer, while Hong Kong and all other major racing nations favour the “Category One” system whereby the first horse past the post keeps the race unless stewards decide the sufferer lost more ground than he or she was beaten by.
This is a subtle difference yet a hugely important one which plays a part in the fact that we do not have the Kentucky Derby as one of our Simulcast races.
Of course, the timing of the race is an issue, but our priority is to focus on international meetings with more direct relevance to Hong Kong and there is no question that a “Category Two” verdict such as the one handed down on Saturday could cause significant negative reaction from our customers.
Whether this historic case will prove a catalyst for change remains to be seen, but American racing faces many important challenges on and off the track at the moment and it will be fascinating to see how this one is resolved.
Aidan O’Brien was the man in the news in Britain, winning the 2000 Guineas for a remarkable 10th time with Magna Grecia on Saturday and following up with a fifth 1000 Guineas success thanks to Hermosa on Sunday.
His impact on global racing has been immense – with well over 300 G1 winners including Highland Reel’s two LONGINES Hong Kong Vase successes – and we look forward to seeing him back in Hong Kong later this year.
Closer to home, it is beginning to look like the battle for the Hong Kong trainers’ championship could be much tighter than many people expected.
Reigning champion John Size is still in pole position to claim his 11th title with 60 winners but the data from the last 10 fixtures makes for interesting reading.
John has had six winners during that period whereas Frankie Lor has had 10 and John Moore – boosted by a string of wins from his Conghua horses – has had 13.
Frankie and John are now just seven winners off the pace with 19 meetings left in the season. Catching John Size is never easy but the gap has been closing of late and we could be in for a very interesting few weeks if recent trends continue.
The midweek spotlight turns to Sha Tin this week and the Class 2 Cafeteria Handicap over 1650m has been reduced to a field of nine with the late scratching of King Genki. The pace should be good with Raging Blitzkrieg and Stimulation going forward to make the running. Turin Redstar, Glorious Artist and Royal Performer will be in striking positions and the field will be tightly bunched.
Glorious Artist ran well recently over the track and distance and should get a nice run from midfield. It is notable that Zac Purton rides him having won aboard Royal Performer and Good Omen recently and he is a win and place chance to break through for the first time this season.
Raging Blitzkrieg has been freshened up and has been working well for his return to the races. He is a versatile sprinter/miler and goes well on both surfaces. He has only one win in Hong Kong and seven seconds and he may add to that total again here as a place chance.
Good Omen is making his first start on the All-Weather track but has won on a synthetic track as a two year old, prior to coming to Hong Kong. He is a place chance along with last start winner Turin Redstar.
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