Hong Kong racing is back, promising plenty of thrills
JOCKEYS: PACK OF SA STARS HUNTING REIGNING CHAMPION ZAC PURTON Super-rich Jockey Club has built a third racecourse.
After a break of several weeks, racing returns to Hong Kong, with Sha Tin the venue of the season opener on Sunday.
Last season’s action in Asia’s racing hot-spot was packed with thrills and the new term promises just as much drama.
So successful has the Hong Kong Jockey Club been in recent times that it has invested in and built a third racecourse – at Conghua on the China mainland – which was officially opened last week. The venue is waiting for a betting licence to be granted so full race meetings can be staged. This might happen as early as March 2019.
More than 120 horses are already resident at Conghua in pre-training for the Hong Kong season. The facility has four tracks – one turf, two dirt and an uphill 1,000m gallop – and nine stable blocks capable of housing 660 in-training horses.
When the gong sounds for the first race at Sha Tin on Sunday, champion jockey Zac Purton will start his defence of the crown he wrested from the formidable Joao Moreira.
The championship battle was not settled until late in the final meeting of last season, with Australian Purton posting 136 winners to the 134 of “Magic Man”. Purton’s win strike rate was 21.4% to Moreira’s 20.3%, so the final outcome was a true reflection of the season.
Brazilian Moreira’s move to Japan means Purton is in pole position to retain the title, but he will have to deal with a few rivals with strong South African connections.
Young jockeys Callan Murray and Grant van Niekerk have sixmonth licences and will be all out to impress and get an extension – to allow them to try to emulate their countryman and multiple Hong Kong champion Douglas Whyte.
The latter is also back in the irons on Sunday and will be vying with Purton for the best mounts throughout the 2018/19 season.
Last term, Karis Teetan, with a decent third-place log finish on 52 winners, showed he has the best of his career still to come. The Mauritian-born, South African Jockey Academy-trained rider has improved with each season in Hong Kong and might be Purton’s biggest challenger this time around.
Australian Nash Rawiller, fourth on 40 winners, will not be returning this season. But fifthplaced, South African-born Chad Schofield will be back and is set for another good showing.
On the training side, John Size dominated with his 87 winners accounting for most of the HK$176 million in stakes earned for his connections.
Frankie Lor had a very good season, with 65 winners ensuring he was runner-up.
Tony Cruz earned HK$139 million for his yard and had 53 winners.
Beauty Generation was crowned Horse Of The Year for 2018 and also Champion Miler.
Time Warp received Champion Middle-Distance Horse, while Ivictory was Champion Sprinter.
The enigmatic Pakistan Star got Champion Stayer and also the Most Popular Horse prize.
The public vote in some of the Hong Kong award categories, such as Most Popular Jockey, an accolade that went the way of the departing Moreira.
Racing in Hong Kong is mainly held on Wednesdays and Sundays with additional meetings on public holidays.
There are 88 meetings scheduled for the new season, with 36 at Happy Valley and 52 at Sha Tin.
The first feature races of this season are on 1 October, with the Group 3 National Day Cup and the Group 3 Celebration Cup.
Eleven Group 1 races are on the calendar, with most taking place during November and December when the local action reaches fever pitch.
South African punters can look forward to expatriate runner Singapore Sling continuing his good form and might also see the return of the decent Knighthood.
It is possible that former Mike de Kock stable star Noah From Goa, who recently won in Singapore, will raid Hong Kong – as might another export, Last Winter.