MOORE, CRUZ AND CHADWICK LAUNCH SEASON WITH WINNING TREBLES
ALMOST 50,000 fans welcomed in the new racing season in Hong Kong on Sunday and went on a betting spree, investing $HK833 million, which was over $HK2 million more than last year.
The 125th anniversary season began spectacularly at Sha Tin with Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges pleased with the overall atmosphere and results of the meeting.
Read more: ALMOST 50,000 turn out for Hong Kong season opener
ANNUAL MEETING TOLD OF CRUCIAL ROLE THAT HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB PLAYS
DESPITE the challenging economy the Hong Kong Jockey Club has contributed more than HK$15 billion to the local community for the second year in a row.
This was announced yesterday by Chairman John Chan when he reviewed highlights from season 2008-09 at the annual general meeting of the HKJC.
Read more: JOCKEY Club contributes $HK15 billion to Hong Kong community
NEW CHIEF STEWARD WANTS OLD RIVALS TO CREATE THE HEADLINES
A new season of racing commences in Hong Kong on Sunday with a new chief steward asking to remain invisible and let the headlines be made on the track between some of the best jockeys, trainers and horses in the world.
“If I wanted my name in the newspaper I would have gone into politics,” Kim Kelly told the Hong Kong media as he prepared for his first meeting in the challenging role of HKJC chief steward.
Kelly wants to take a backseat role to the much anticipated on-track battle for riding honors between old rivals Douglas Whyte and Brett Prebble and the return bout for the training championship involving Caspar Fownes, John Moore and John Size.
'BAD FUNG SHUI' REASON BEHIND GOOD BA BA STABLE SWITCH
HERE’S a problem that Australian trainers don’t have to contend with just yet.
The transfer of champion Hong Kong galloper, Good Ba Ba, from the Andreas Schutz stable to trainer Derek Cruz has been blamed on ‘bad fung shui.’
The South China Morning Post reports that controversial owner John Yuen Se-kit has told a family friend that he was moving Good Ba Ba because ‘all his good luck with Schutz may have been used up.’
SEASON ENDS WITH BIGGEST BETTING DAY IN SIX YEARS
AS the 2008-2009 racing season ended in HONG KONG in early July with its biggest betting day in six years, the Government was poised to grant a Jockey Club request for extra race days to boost a dip in turnover.
The South China Morning Post reported that a Government source had predicted that the number of race days in the city would increase from 78 to 83 in the new season and that the number of simulcasts of overseas race meetings would rise from 10 to 25 days.
TOP TEAM CELEBRATE AN OVERDUE WIN BY THEIR STAR GALLOPER
TOP trainer John Moore and leading owner Stanley Ho were over the moon when their star galloper, VIVA PATACA, was named Hong Kong Horse of the Year for 2008-09.
“I am very delighted my horse, Viva Pataca, has been voted Horse of the Year after waiting for four years,” said a proud Mr Ho, breaking with a long-standing tradition of giving his acceptance speech in English rather than Cantonese.