Diamond Necklace at Chantilly and Vive Le Difference!
Watching Diamond Necklace win the Prix de Diane at Chantilly on Sunday separated the men from the boys- though here is a 3-year old filly who makes one realise what the term “different gravy” means as far as quintessential equine talent is.
The racing at Chantilly is also about how much the actual beaucoup de style on show adds to the importance of creating the perfect brand personality and marketing this with that certain je ne sais quoi lacking and with some of the big race days at other racecourses often missing the mark and with what’s shown bordering on merde.
And what another example of Group One teamwork from Aidan O’Brien and the brilliance of Ryan Moore MBE.
Of course, in horse racing, it’s always a question of horses for courses- like racing at Eagle Farm on a Heavy 5/6 or the sushi of Hanshin in Japan though at least, it was good to see the timeless Yutaka Take still riding winners and taking out his sixth Takarutza Kinen on Sunday.
Take him and Lemaire and perhaps the cameo appearances by Damian Lane and the much underrated Rachel King out of the equation and, at least for television viewers, what’s left is the usual serving of wobbly scope and potluck.
And then there’s Hong Kong racing in 2026…
So very often- and it’s been happening for decades- there’s the realisation that some of the biggest detractors of racing in Hong Kong are actually many who profess to be the fans. They indeed might be, but there are some who sure as hell have a bloody funny way of showing it.
There are always the conspiracy theories about jockeys “trying” and “not trying” and something or another about a “script”, whereas a jockey “trying” is based on how much they absolutely pulverise their mount with what is cutely described by racing scribes as the “persuader”.
The HKJC really should rein in these friendly “persuasions” in case they might be “trending” to almost cowboy yeee haaaaa levels whereas- and we’re not Stewards- but, hopefully, those “boat races” from the days of yore are not making an unwelcome comeback.
Hmmmmm?
Another thing, instead of trying to bring European fashion and mad hatters to Hong Kong, why not make the city’s racing a product that showcases the cheongsamed elegance and uniqueness of, well, HONG KONG- and the fact that we’re in Year of the Horse???
Someone forgotten about all the meandering conversations for weeks about the importance of the Year of the Horse and celebrating this with productions by Ziang Yimou, appearances by someone like Bocelli and Jacky Cheung etc etc?
Was this just the usual corporate HKJC horses***?
One could go on and on, but we’ll stop here and also wonder how many local racing fans know the difference between different gravy and coagulated congee?
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