The start of the new year heralds the start of new beginnings and new opportunities and that, for me, holds true as much for horse racing as life itself.
The pandemic means 2020 is a wretched year we would prefer to forget but, after 12 months of turmoil and disruption, it is with a fresh sense of positivity that the Club casts an eye to the future.
While it is prudent all of us remain cautious and responsible as Hong Kong deals with the fourth wave of the virus, the recent decline in COVID cases from 102 at its height on 10 December to 47 on 30 December is cause of optimism. Similarly, the fall in cases with unknown sources from 42 cases to 13 on 30 December is especially significant.
This trend provides hopes that, as long as we maintain vigilant, social distancing measures can eventually be relaxed and we can start to open up our racecourse facilities in a phased approach. This, in combination with the successful rollout of vaccines globally and here in Hong Kong, gives rise to optimism that the end of the COVID public health crisis in the not-so-distant future is possible.
In reflecting on 2020, the very fact that racing has continued is something all participants can be extremely proud of.
The reward is not only what is past, but what lies ahead.
There is no better example of this than the looming Four-Year-Old Classic Series, which has again shown itself to be the launching pad of outstanding talent. Last season’s Derby hero Golden Sixty is a case in point, but there are many exciting young prospects clamouring to follow in his foot-steps.
Excellent Proposal was the first to stake a claim. Some people may have forgotten about him slightly given that John Size has rested him since an autumn hat-trick under Joao Moreira but those wins were impressive and his rating of 98 puts him firmly in the Hong Kong Classic Mile picture.
Joao faces a few New Year puzzles as he tries to choose between several bright young prospects. Sky Darci is also rated 98 after winning three from three this season for Caspar Fownes, while stablemate Enrich Delight was a smart horse in Australia and looked very promising in beating a handful of other Classic Series aspirants on his Hong Kong debut.
Finding out whether good sprinters can stretch out to a mile or more is always one of the most intriguing aspects of any Classic Series, but Winning Dreamer has won his first six for Frankie Lor – progressing from a mark of 52 to 102 – and will be a danger to all if he proves effective over longer trips.
The first meeting of 2020 was notable for Golden Sixty’s impressive step up to G3 company in the Chinese Club Challenge Cup and Winning Dreamer and Sky Darci both have the chance to emulate him on Friday.
Lucky Express is one of several other Classic Series hopefuls in action on New Year’s Day and, with progressive horses such as Tourbillon Diamond and Shadow Hero waiting in the wings, it’s clear there are important cards to be played in the next few weeks.
One of the increasingly successful factors behind Hong Kong racing has been Conghua Racecourse, as shown by statistics which reveal 78 of the 305 races decided to date (25.6%) this season have been won by horses who were trained at Conghua before immediately before returning to Hong Kong to race.
About 22 percent of the Hong Kong horse population is stabled at Conghua. By comparison, the number of winners stabled at Conghua before winning during the same period last season was 52. The trainers enjoying the highest level of success come as no great surprise. Caspar Fownes has 15 winners from Conghua (over 44% of his current total) while Frankie Lor has 10 and Francis Lui has 9. John Size is next with 8.
On another positive, Sunday’s Arima Kinen set a new Hong Kong individual race simulcast record with turnover of HK$51.6 million. This shows the growing popularity of top-class Japanese G1 races here in Hong Kong. Each of the last three simulcast days has generated over HK$30 million in betting duty to SAR Government.
Returning to Sha Tin on Friday, it is sad, of course, to know that the first card of 2021 will be played out before empty grandstands at Sha Tin but now is the time for hope and optimism and, as a turbulent 2020 winds down, all that remains is for me to wish all of our incredibly loyal staff and supporters a very happy, healthy and successful new year.
The G3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy and the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup are the third and eighth races, respectively, on Friday and both races include a number of promising four-year-old contenders. Four of the five runners in the 1000m Bauhinia Sprint Trophy come out of the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint, most notably Computer Patch and Stronger.
Computer Patch must carry maximum weight under the handicap conditions and will go forward along with Big Party to set a good pace. Joao has taken the ride and is perfect on Computer Patch in two prior opportunities, including an easy win in the G3 National Day Cup over the course and distance. This one will be much tougher at the weights but I make Computer Patch a win and place chance.
Stronger returns to his preferred trip and is a place chance along with Explosive Witness, a horse that will do his best work over the concluding stages.
In the 1400 metre Chinese Club Challenge Cup, the young guns include Classic Mile hopefuls Winning Dreamer and Sky Darci. Winning Dreamer has won six consecutive races and faces a big test here as he steps up in trip in his first try over 1400. His natural speed will put him in close contention behind a good to slow pace with Ka Ying Star and Buddies as the likely leaders. The field will be tightly bunched.
Winning Dreamer is a son of Deep Field and the added furlong is a question mark. He is in light at the weights and I make him a place chance and, like Sky Darci, he has worked very well.
Sky Darci has shown an ability to win beyond 1200m and he is a win and place chance.
Fat Turtle is in good form and should appreciate the step up in trip. He is a win and place chance after a pair of promising efforts against top-class sprinters. Mighty Giant returns to his preferred distance as a place chance.
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