Saturday’s Sha Tin meeting means we have effectively reached the halfway point of the 2019/2020 racing season and the last five months have tested all of us.
As I have often stated in this Blog, racing can never be immune to major events in wider society. That point has been driven home, first by public safety concerns and now by an outbreak of coronavirus which is entering a crucial stage.
The government has advised that the next two weeks will be critical in terms of containing the disease and that companies should consider further measures to avoid congregation of crowds during this period.
To contribute to this collective effort and in recognition of the need to strengthen our precautionary measures, the Club has decided to further reduce race meeting attendances to enhance protection of employees and customers.
Effective from the Sha Tin meeting today, the only people admitted on racedays will be trainers, jockeys, Club officials, Stewards, Voting Members who oversee governance and owners and their guests.
We estimate total attendance will be reduced to around 1,200 and customers will continue to undergo temperature screening and be advised to wear medical masks. These new arrangements will continue during the critical next two weeks and the Club will continue to monitor the situation.
These are testing times for Hong Kong. Our apologies again go out to those who cannot enjoy racing in their normal way, but the resilience our sport has shown in recent months will stand us in good stead for whatever is to come.
Stepping away from wider issues, this has been a season of surprises in racing. No-one expected Beauty Generation to suffer four successive defeats but our dual Horse of the Year has the chance to bounce back if he bids for a third Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup win. Top sprinter Beat The Clock and champion middle distance horse and stayer Exultant will also be in action at Sha Tin next week, while the trainers’ and jockeys’ championships are full of promise.
Francis Lui and Ricky Yiu have excelled to top the trainers’ table and Douglas Whyte’s progress in his first season training has been impressive. Joao Moreira and Zac Purton are poised for another battle for the jockeys’ championship but the most notable milestone this week was achieved by Hong Kong’s leading homegrown rider.
Vincent Ho partnered his 300th Hong Kong winner when Massive Pocket charged home at Happy Valley and completed another memorable night by also winning the next two races aboard Naboo Star and This Is Class.
It is clear now that our investment in homegrown talent is paying a handsome dividend. Vincent has developed into a high-class professional and his relentless progress over the last couple of years represents so much of what is good about Hong Kong racing.
Saturday’s ninth race is the Class 2 Choi Hung Handicap with a good pace to be set by Voyage Warrior from the inside draw and Beauty Applause from the outside draw in what shapes up as a very contentious 1200m race.
Voyage Warrior is a four-time winner over the straight course at Sha Tin and this is only his second try around the bend. He did show an added dimension when winning his last start, rating nicely during the early stages and then opening up to win by a margin. Voyage Warrior will let Beauty Applause cross and take the box seat in an effort to see out the trip and he is a place chance under Chad Schofield.
Computer Patch is well drawn, in with a light weight and in excellent form. He will be on the pace under Alexis Badel and will get every opportunity as a win and place chance.
Duke Wai has won four consecutive races under Karis Teetan, moving up 28 points in the ratings, and is a horse that shows great determination when put to the test.
He will be making ground in the closing section and is a solid place chance in his current form. Despite the wide draw, Beauty Applause is also a place chance under Moreira. He enters this race with outstanding form, while Gold Chest, who ran well when rallying late last time on his first attempt at 1200m in Hong Kong, could be an interesting outsider for Matthew Poon.
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