Was a race day the best way for the HKJC to celebrate Reunification Day in Hong Kong?
Those who tuned into the ‘live’ broadcast on the historically important Reunification Day in Hong Kong for the special race day at Shatin yesterday to commemorate the 29th anniversary of this very special day where those on course were treated to patriotic songs performed with much pride and gusto to all the high ranking officials assembled- and for racegoers, what else but horse racing.
Notable absentee for the proceedings was Rosanna Law, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Tourism, Culture and Sports who usually attends even the opening of an envelope. She probably had a Canto Pop concert to go to whereas the city’s Chief Executive was his usual no-show as he would have had more important events to attend.
This July 1 marked the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong returning to China after 156 years under British rule, a day that especially many of us foreigners still in the city remember with very differing memories and all that happened on Handover day in 1997.
Though perhaps- perhaps -understanding the reason for having this race day, one cannot help but wonder whether the Hong Kong Jockey Club could not have held the gambling on racing the day before or the day after, and instead have created an event for families and the community that was more in line with the spirit of Reunification Day?
Couldn’t July 1 have been something of a celebration of unity and happiness and harmony as opposed to just another race day with another serving of the usual Selfie things for non racegoers- taking place on a racecourse?
Hasn’t all this everything else become somewhat trite and just more lazy marketing?
One could discuss this subject until the cows come home, but unless truly understanding the importance and historical value of this day, it’s something that would be dismissed, especially by those hardcore racing fans as not being worthy of any discussion.
They’re probably far more interested in betting their fifty bucks on Ka Ying Rising to win at Conghua when this race apparently takes place in October.
Getting back to the race day yesterday on what was a public holiday, winning the first race, and even though a Class 5 event, it had a great deal of “face” riding on it, something that we’re sure was not lost on Zac Purton who looked for all the world as if he had won it. But feng shui or whatever it’s called had other ideas.
This was when Hong Kong born apprentice jockey Nicola Yuen fought tooth and nail on the inside to thwart the Australian.
Many must have been relieved that on such an auspicious day, a Chinese rider won the race for Chinese trainer Pierre Ng on Frantanck and the Great Fund Syndicate.
It was a tough, determined ride by Yuen who has very quickly established herself as one of the most popular jockeys with Hong Kong racing fans.
Names of races on Reunification Raceday: The Racing Goes On Handicap, World Class Leadership Handicap, Friends Of Hong Kong Cup, Uncompromising Integrity Handicap, of course the Hong Kong Reunification Cup, Serving The Community Handicap, The Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, Continuous Development Handicap, Riding High Handicap, Sportsmanship Handicap and the Better Future Handicap.
No, there was no Conghua Cup or a In Ka Ying Rising We Trust Cup though the David Hall trained and Matthew Poon trained Ka Ying Attack won the Reunification Cup.
The HKJC, meanwhile, has started one of those annual popularity polls and with various talking heads offering up their choices in one of those commercials that are all very much par for the course.
The best: The sweet young thing who coos to camera that she’ll be voting for jockey Alexis Badel “because he’s stylish- and fast- like me!”
We like fast women.
There were plenty of Cups being won and presented at the Reunification Day race meeting. We smiled to ourselves when the team of trainer Brett Crawford and jockey Karis Teetan collected the Friends Of Hong Kong Association Cup following the win Class 4 galloper King Of Fighters.
This was Crawford’s 26th winner in his first season of training in the city, and it’s always good to see different changes of the guard taking place in the overall makeup of Hong Kong.
Comments