As The Dust Settles, Hong Kong Racing Shines Out Of The Darkness

0
1008

And so after writing a preview of the Sunday races from Sha Tin here in Hong Kong, common courtesy suggests that I ought to at least make my excuses as to where it all went wrong. First things first and as is my habit I do like to sing the praises of the racecourses I am lucky enough to visit, and why not – they deserve every word I hammer out on the old laptop. With the racing to dissect later I will keep it short and sweet but suffice to say that cheaper entry, cheaper food and drink, better (and cheaper) racecards, amazing facilities, computerised betting terminals, plenty of space (considering it’s a sell-out), and more information about the horses than my little brain can cope with and nothing hidden, from a horse’s weight to replays on a loop of up to date track work and trainer quotes by the dozen – thank heaven for e-mail or the HKJC would be responsible for the loss of a rainforest to themselves. 

One thing a tote style monopoly does give to the racing fan is a nonchalance to winners. Unlike certain bookmakers I can (and would love to) name, winning is actively encouraged and if you want information, they will happily do their best to attain it for you. No account closures here (I can only dream of such a utopia in the UK), with successful speculators invariably reinvesting at a later date and although I cannot deny gambling is the main focus of many, there is a genuine interest in racing with most having either their favourite horses, trainers, or more likely jockeys with Joao Moreira and Zac Purton heading the list with their own clothing brands to assist both their popularity and their incomes.  

Runaway winners for the locals all day long last Sunday.

On to the racing and you will be please to be told I am only working on the Group One events (leaving me time for a beer and some food first), and I am assuming I will be needing to make plenty of excuses. Race one was the mile and a half Vase and although as an armchair jockey perhaps I should keep quiet but I do wonder why those riding the stamina laden Europeans sat out the back in a race that clearly had very little early pace? When the leaders quickened up they simply could not go with them as the Tony Cruz trained Exultant led home Japan’s Lys Gracieux with Dermot Weld’s Eziyra SP 36/1!) in third the first home for Europe.  Not the proudest moment for some of our jockeys in my view with Ryan Moore leaving Mirage Dancer out the back for far too long (may have felt the ground to be fair) and Waldgeist getting caught behind a wall of horses, though that fails to excuse Rostropovich who simply wasn’t good enough and made me look even more stupid than is normally the case. 

The Sprint was worth over a million pounds to the winner which is not to be sniffed at wherever in the World, though clearly the British and European owners are rolling in cash as we only mustered the one runner in Sir Dancealot who looked outclassed.  All the horses had gleaming coasts and looked the part in the parade ring pre-contest, a credit to their lads and lasses, but it was my selection (read that again, it’s true) that came home in front as Mr Stunning was given a great ride by Karis Teetan who flew out of the stalls to get position before being pulled back and then produced at the perfect time to win by a fairly easy three quarters of a length at odds of  13/5 though there was plenty of 4/1 before the race and I can but hope you grabbed some of the bigger prices. 

Karis Teetan lands our bets on Mr Stunning who lived up to his name

On to the mile (with a handicap in between won by Joao Moreira to the delight of the crowd), and all eyes here were on Beauty Generation as the home team looked to continue their domination. His form suggested he ought to go off favourite but I was far less impressed by the odds on aspect though after watching the race it was me who was proved ignorant. The son of Road To Rock put in the best mile performance I have seen in many a year when sent to the front early to avoid being pushed wide and then just powering clear untouched leaving his Group One winning rivals looking like cart horses in his wake. There is a chance he will campaign abroad and we can but hope that we see him at Royal Ascot when I can assure he will be anything but disgraced. As for my suggestion (Mozu Ascot), I think he is still running (OK, he finished seventh), but I can take my losses on the chin to see a horse like Beauty Generation in the flesh.

Second season trainer Frankie Lor lands a big race double and is pretty happy about it!

One race to go and I have to say it would have taken me a few goes to pick the winner. As mentioned I do not like to criticise jockeys when I don’t ride but they all gave Silvestre De Sousa and Glorious Forever a pretty soft lead as they followed along in single file, looking as if they all assumed he would come back to the field – and he didn’t. The old saying goes that you can give weight but not distance and so it proved as he came home a front running length winner from Deirdre for Japan and last year’s winner Time Warp. The cooler than expected weather wasn’t a sign of a big run from Stormy Antarctic as I hoped who started out the back and found it took far too much out of him when trying to close when asked before trailing home eighth of nine beaten approximately four lengths at the line. Perhaps not my day at the end but two winners out of four keeps the wolf from the door, and more importantly I and everybody at Sha Tin had a great day out – maybe next year the Europeans will be slightly less embarrassing, and I won’t feel the need to sneak out the back door?

With the International racing over for another year we still had one more challenge to face as us press were invited to venture in to mainland China to visit Congua Racecourse. Although not exactly kept hush hush over the years the mainstream media have allowed the enormous investment go almost unmentioned (no betting no point seemingly the rather embarrassing school of thought), but here at the Daily Sport we try to cover everything of interest and a multi-million pound investment in a state of the art new racecourse seems to fit the bill.

With land at a premium in Hong Kong the idea of expansion for the Hong Kong Jockey Club was always a non-runner so as is their way, they came up with a rather novel solution – build one inland.

The horses at Congua look are well looked after and the benefits are already visible in recent results.

After a three hour drive in to China we came to racing Nirvana and the most sublime no expense spared racecourse currently on this planet (and that is NOT an exaggeration). I am not going to bore you with a long list of nuts and bolts, costs and acreage, but suffice to say it is near to perfection and a flagship track.  Fresh clean air is, in my view, the number one commodity and those horses trained at the track are already beginning to show the benefits. Spacious spelling paddocks, equine spas and a swimming pool, top of the range veterinary facilities were all glaringly obvious as we were given the guided tour, but further enquiries confirmed air flow in the stables and even the lux rating of the lighting had all been thoroughly investigated to ensure optimum conditions.

With horses already travelling up from Hong Kong for training at Congua the operation is effectively up and running and next March they will hold exhibition racing (no betting but just as competitive no doubt as history will be made), and I for one am certainly looking forward to that day and whatever else the future may hold – watch this space for up to date information as and when it becomes available.

Sean Trivass was a guest of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and as always, would like to thank them for their support and assistance.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here