The Ka Ying is Rising (and the fever is high)
- Hans Ebert
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
It’s not just the Hong Kong racing fans, but without horse racing, one can almost hear crickets in the city.
On September 6, the new racing season saddles up again, cowboys, and one can almost feel a pulse running through a city looking for something that can give it some semblance of a tinge of excitement and nightlife, let alone a life worth living.
Having said this, little old Hong Kong with its always intriguing history, might not be perfect, but it’s a helluva lot better than seeing what’s going on in America which appears to be a grotesque television reality show that has gone way off the tracks and become a grifter’s cinema paradiso directed by Wes Craven.
Having been out of the city during most of the off season and now back to tie up some loose ends, I had forgotten about the rather unique thinking of those dyed in the wool Hong Kong racing fans- not those enjoying the privileges of being in the Members area, but those in the Public area who exchange gossip and are their own best tipsters and racing experts.
Having dim sum with a group of them this week, I heard about the tsunami of simulcasts that Hong Kong received during the off season- known to some as “stimulcasts”- and despite thinking Durban was in India and the Curragh was a curry, this didn’t stop anyone from having an opinion.
Everyone seems to have discovered Saffie Osborne, below, Zac Lloyd and Billy Loughnane.
This was pretty much expected, but rather unexpected was hearing that when it came to riding styles, there was a similarity between the different gravy of Ryan Moore and- er- the Mauritian magic of Karis Teetan.
I mentioned how well Ethan Browne, Ben Thompson and Jimmy Orman were riding back in Australia with all of them placing their improvement as jockeys to the experience they received from the competitive racing in Hong Kong.
There was much said about dress codes and how these can be improved in Hong Kong which will enhance the overall image of the HKJC and horse ownership, whereas nothing much was said about horse racing in Conghua.
My takeaway from all this is that Hong Kong racing is pretty much what it was and is pretty much what it is. It’s not stuck in Reverse, but it’s not exactly the Flash.
Everyone seems happy enough despite there being no Big Picture thinking. Maybe that’s too much hard work…
My personal opinion is that other than the HKJC website needing a makeover and looking a tad more sleek and with a Less Is More design strategy, where it doesn’t look like a dog’s breakfast, navigation will be easier.
It really can’t be a bungle through the jungle where even Indiana Jones goes missing.
Perhaps the simulcasts could be marketed better, and have an interactive element included as this important part of the World Pool is still at work with a Learner sign on its back.
These simulcasts really should be part of a much larger and highly energised pizza with all the trimmings. They’re all looking rather formulaic and sometimes even dreary.
Betting blind on familiar names is hardly challenging nor does it have any longevity or anything that offers food for thought when it comes to forward thinking that leads where one never thought of going.
These might seem like cosmetic changes, but once the interactive and engagement elements of the Big Picture see the light of day, it might just switch on some lightbulbs and be the game changer that the world of horse racing needs.
If I think that I can’t change any game, I walk away. I’m simply not interested in what’s come before. This could also be a person who once meant something to you, but who doesn’t anymore. It happens.
Like how love and inspiration are fleeting things, it’s always about turning the corner and seeing the world differently and finding new answers to age old questions.
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