And so the journey back towards what we once all took for granted is under way again. Sunday wasn’t the first time we have welcomed members and public back to Sha Tin since the pandemic began but this was a day that had a feelgood factor and a real sense of optimism on many levels.
Above all else, it was fantastic to see how excited people were to be back at the races. There was a really good atmosphere when I went down to the public section and I would like to thank all concerned for following the public health measures we have in place so closely.
The positive mood was helped by good weather and once again we saw how people respond to quality racing. That is the engine that drives wagering and, with Joao Moreira on fire and a series of strong races to end the card, we ended the day with turnover up by nine per cent overall, with local and international levels increasing by seven and 20 per cent respectively compared to the same card in 2019.
Joao is like so many Brazilian sports stars in that he can become unstoppable when his confidence is high and he was in full flow on Sunday, riding a spectacular six-timer completed when the exciting Hong Kong Classic Mile candidate Excellent Proposal ran out an impressive winner of the finale.
Zac Purton will do everything in his power to stem that flow but there were several other notable stories to emerge from Sunday’s card, with Winning Dreamer adding his name to Hong Kong’s list of up-and-coming young horses and five of the ten winners trained from our Conghua base since their latest start.
Perhaps the strongest message from having fans back for the first time this season was that so much of racing is about the entertainment factor. Re-opening Off-Course Betting Branches during the day for last week’s Happy Valley meeting worked well so we are looking at how we can do more in that area. In addition, we are planning to bring the physical sale of Mark Six lottery tickets back when the time is right.
Last but not least, we are also working hard to make further progress on racecourse attendance and with Cross Betting from October onwards. All our decisions are aligned with Government, as usual, but five meetings into a new season I can only say we could not be happier with the start we have made.
Sad to say some other leading racing jurisdictions are still trying coming to terms with the effects of the pandemic and it was interesting to hear leading trainer John Gosden saying over the weekend that British racing runs the risk of being set back by decades without radical new funding measures.
We wish John and his European colleagues well at this incredibly challenging time but here in Hong Kong we have solid foundations to build on at the moment and long may that continue as we prepare for this weekend’s Celebration Cup meeting and beyond.
Wednesday’s Class 2 Big Wave Bay Handicap will be run at a fast tempo over 1200m as the final race of the night. Amazing Star, Ugly Warrior, Beauty Amigo, Golden Dash and Team Spirit will go forward to set a lively pace. Beauty Applause is turning back in trip under Joao and will try to overcome his wide draw to secure a position outside of California Rad.
Team Spirit and California Rad have the advantage of good barrier draws and recent form. Team Spirit came within a short head of winning a strong Class 2 at Sha Tin ten days ago and California Rad picked up where he left off last season with a solid win in Class 3 two weeks ago. The pace should suit California Rad and he is a win and place chance to win again over his preferred course and distance under Karis Teetan.
Amazing Star had the benefit of a first-up run at Sha Tin earlier this month and returns to Happy Valley where he has won four of six starts. He has won before from gate 11 on the C+3 in this grade and trainer Jimmy Ting has elected to use the services of 10-pound apprentice Jerry Chau. The barrier will make this a bit tougher but Amazing Star remains a place chance along with Team Spirit and Golden Dash.
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