After six days here in Hong Kong we reached finale time, race day itself and the nerves are already setting in. I won’t deny its fun coming out to Hong Kong for the races, nor that I have seen a bar or two, eaten well, met old friends and made new, and generally had a great time, largely thanks to the Hong Kong Jockey Club as always.
That said, I am more than aware I am here to do a job, and the adrenaline is up ahead of a ten-race card though to be fair, it’s the “big four” that interest me and particularly the European contingent. Cheaper racecourse entry, affordable food and drink and a top-class card invariably see a sell-out crowd though sadly not quite this year with planned protests presumably keeping plenty of punters indoors on this occasion - their loss I’m afraid and a great day assured for the rest of us regardless.
Three handicaps started the card and although I cannot deny exciting finishes for each and every one, there was no way I could learn the local form in a week, so I let them all run unbacked. I was looking for jockeys or trainers in form to see if it helped justify my earlier selections though it was Joao Moreira who started on fire with two winners and a fourth to suggest he will be the man to beat. Naturally, I hadn’t tipped a single horse he was on (gulp), but you have to be positive as I awaited the Vase that kicked off the four big Group One contests and the chance for Anthony Van Dyck to get back to winning ways. That thought was the kiss of death as he missed a beat at the start before closing in to second though that effort was short lived and he faded away badly as Japan’s Glory Vase stormed home under (you guessed it), that man Moreira. The Irish challenger ran a stinker in my view (excuses expected), but I am quietly confident he simply isn’t very good and perhaps now is the time to at least consider, maybe we are no longer the pinnacle of racing the World over?
No use sobbing in to my losing betting slips and on to the sprint where Aethero was my banker of the day – oops. Heavy punting on the machine saw him sent off a 1/3 chance but you can’t print money and he never really escaped his field as I hoped. There was no disgrace in being beaten less than a length in to third and I am still convinced he will go on form here with further experience, but there was a hush from the crowd as he was passed, and this was admittedly a bit of an anti-climax.
On to the mile next and despite deciding the 11/4 back home about Beauty Generation was a good bet, the nerves were beginning to kick in as they do when nothing appears to go right. With my bet cut back accordingly that turned out to be my best decision of the day as he was yet another who looked all over the winner a furlong out, only to be caught close home for another third spot. His time may well have gone (we shall see on that score), and we mustn’t take anything away from Japanese winner Admire Mars, though his 26/1 starting price gives you a clue that he wasn’t expected to get to the front where it matters.
One race to go and what eggs I had left were in the basket labelled “Ryan Moore” as he rode Aidan O’Brien challenger Magic Wand in the Hong Kong Cup to end the international contests. In the first four throughout she struggled to get a run when needed and looked likely to finish nearer last than first before Ryan conjured something up the rails to go under by a short head at the line. Another few strides and she would have been in front which rather summed up my betting day, but there is more to life than winning (apparently), and all in all we witnessed an amazing day of racing with a turnover of (wait for it) 1.7 billion HKD or about £100,000,000 which is an amazing figure even by Hong Kong standards.
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