WHEN HONG KONG RACING WAS GIVEN A LITTLE FACELIFT AND THE HKJC SCHOOLED IN THE ART OF HOW TO BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM!
One couldn’t really call it a rerun, but for those of us who have been in Hong Kong for pretty much all of our lives, there was something almost nostalgic, compellingly competitive and very much full of bon hommie about the racing and the vibes at Happy Valley last night. And the person to thank for this was David Beckham.
Whatever weird concoctions might be being served up like the oddity named “Racing with Football”, meaning the promotion of the FIFA World Cup 2026, having Sir Becks on course rejuvenated what would have otherwise been just another midweek race meeting- sorry, “Racing With Football” race meeting.
The likeable superstar has been around long enough to know how to Bend It Like Beckham and keep his brand relevant by making himself available for selfies, photo opps, Netflix documentaries etc.
Perhaps the HKJC might have seen what they could do far better when marketing their racing heroes and improving the advertising of the brand personality of the racing product where it doesn’t look like it came out of the Mongkok sausage factory and looking like a bland congee of Camptown Races doodahs?
Though his time at the races at Happy Valley wasn’t that long, it was enough time for the Beckham aura to be in the air even after he had left the racecourse and the main event was being served- the horse racing.
Meanwhile, America’s serial grifter and Mr Tangerine Man and his motley administration crew and family have already turned the upcoming World Cup event into everything FIFA should have seen coming: Trumpty Dumpty’s Flying ICE Circus.
Already, Omar Artan, below, who would have been the first referee from Somalia to participate in a World Cup was refused entry into the United States.
How this will rebound and affect hundreds of thousands of football fans deciding not take the chance to bother flying to the major host country and support their teams is something only time will tell.
From everything I know, there are some bigly efforts taking place at damage control to prop up the negativity and confusion surrounding one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
Let’s not forget the already corrupt and rickety image of FIFA going back to the Sepp Blatter years.
More recently, the presentation by current FIFA President Gianni Infantinno of a “FIFA Peace Prize” to the American Big Orange squeezebox El Presidente, who’s eighty, unhinged and knows that his days are numbered. If he’s going to go, he’s going to do everything he can to take as many as he can with him down to Hades.
It’s a fait accomplis that Donny The Toddler and his ICE ICE babies will make the Beautiful Game uglier than Kash Patel’s oily birdie num nums, but all this will play itself out somewhere else and, mercifully, not Hong Kong.
For myself, even it was something happening on television, it’s been a very long time since I enjoyed watching Hong Kong horse racing. I know, I know- no big deal. But still, as some home entertainment in this day and age of ‘live’ streaming with marketing opportunities missed by so many businesses and organisations involved in tourism, there was a fabulous winning ride by Zac Purton for one-time foe and now trainer Douglas White.
There were wins for the likeable Vincent Ho, and the very much in-form and sudden wunderkind of racing in the city in Hong Kong born jockey Jerry Chau.
There were doubles for veteran trainers Tony Cruz and John Size, and jockey Brenton Avdulla, and perhaps those smiles on the faces of apprentice jockey Angus Chung and Karis Teetan after their wins for the legend that is The Putha Man, were part of the Beckham factor.
Like Lewis Hamilton, Ronaldo, Messi and the new generation of tennis players, the former footballer is an amazing force of nature with incredible marketability and pulling power that probably spilt over in the joy of Brazilian Joao Moreira- a huge football fan-taking out the last race of the night.
The mood, the vibe was infectious, especially with Sir Becks, in his new role as global ambassador for Lenovo, the technology partner of FIFA World Cup 2026, exuding his undeniable charm throughout Happy Valley Racecourse- and elsewhere in Hong Kong.
One hopes that the HKJC and its present hierarchy picked up some tips on marketing and promotions and who and what works and the importance of deliverables and what to do when a celebrity with the mainstream appeal of a David Beckham is NOT at the races.
Rosanna Law, the city’s head of tourism, culture and sports, was also present at the races presenting a winning trophy for something or another, but, let’s face it, Who cared? David Beckham is an impossible act to follow.
For myself, I couldn’t help thinking of the journey of Posh and Becks from those early days when the couple were being interviewed by Ali G.
I couldn’t also help thinking about and what if the couple’s former manager and my longtime friend Simon Fuller, who had so much to do with creating the Beckham brand, was still in Hong Kong with his group Now United.
How would meeting up with his former business partner and client have worked? Probably very cordially as both parties are professionals.
Back at home base, it was embarrassing catching glimpses of the HKJC racing’s second banana giggling like any other groupie, whereas there appeared to be a little corporate jostling going on by grown men for photo opportunities. And, quelle horreurs, there were no signs of the Club’s resident Lady Gaga Gangles photobombing Le Nuit De Beckham.
Even the taco filled ole ole ‘live’ music almost sounded bearable.
The bottom line is that real international star power and not wheeling out Aaron Kwok again worked in helping some of us enter the Twilight Zone and chill out.
It’s back to unreal reality on Saturday afternoon at Shatin and another of those twilight race meetings where who knows what fate awaits you.
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