We must admit that our childhood flashed before our eyes when Ole Kirk won the Golden Rose at Rosehill yesterday.
Named after Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of LEGO, we just had to build SOMETHING from all the pieces we have been collecting over the years.
As for the race, it was a messy affair. Jim Byrne on hot favourite Rothfire was softened up by by a rampant Nash Rawiller on Mamaragam. It was a plodding and sitting duck for the Team Hawkes Waynes pair of Ole Kirk and North Pacific, ridden by Tommy Berry and James McDonald, respectively.
It was another beauty of a ride by The Berry Boy. We haven’t seen him riding as well as he has been in recent months. He’s in a good space which is terrific to see.
Tommy underlined this in the next race with another terrific ride aboard Subpoenaed.
How do you celebrate winning your 30th G1? Winning a G2 in the next race. Tommy Berry lifts Subpoenaed to victory in the Golden Pendant. pic.twitter.com/kJbuoecOq8 — bet365_aus (@bet365_aus) September 26, 2020
WHAT A RIDE. 🌟OLE KIRK COMES HOME WITH A BOOMING FINISH TO WIN THE GOLDEN ROSE 🌟 pic.twitter.com/jrayFJm6MF — 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 26, 2020
Having said this, racing in New South Wales, especially at Randwick and Rosehill on Saturdays, has become a rather entertaining film noire horse opera of fun and games in recent weeks.
It’s dark humour television fare though one doubts that RNSW Chief Steward Mark Van Gestel shares our enthusiasm.
Happening quite regularly have been weekly double doses of suspensions, suspensions being overturned and a couple of high profile serial offenders appearing to have plenty of Get Out Of Jail Free cards.
At Caulfield, as expected, Russian Camelot with Damien Oliver aboard took out the Underwood. This is a seriously good young horse.
Simply brilliant, he's a dual Group 1 winner. Russian Camelot is pure class. 😯 @DOBrienRacing @MelbRacingClub pic.twitter.com/s5CHCx4ctg — Racing.com (@Racing) September 26, 2020
Still at Caulfield, Craig Williams was his exuberant professional self, rode an excellent double and gave some very long speeches. Often one felt like he was talking to himself and imagined what a talk show featuring Willo and RSN’s G-Man might be like.
Despite all this talk about winning, we can’t help wondering what the hell anyone is going to do with the money even if they were to win a couple of millions. In what has become a cashless society in various stages of lockdown, how and where does one exactly enjoy money?
Still, horse racing does give some of us the down time to switch off from the 24/7 rattling of sabres by the bad news bores and mute the conflicts taking place all around the world.
With so much under threat, the unpredictability of The Big Orange in the White House and everything hurtling towards the American Presidential elections, a couple of hours watching the races offers some shelter from the storm and helps get one away from the onslaught of rabid paranoia and pandemonium.
Even tuning in to tune out to those racing and sports radio stations with hours and hours of pontificating and differing opinions about everything and everyone offers some surreal form of meditative therapy. There are those days though when…
This afternoon, all the hype is-again- about the return of-groan-Beauty Generation, this time in the Celebration Cup, a Group 3 race to commemorate National Day. It’s hardly a clash of the titans. It hardly lives up to its Don King type billing of “The Mighty Miler” versus “The Golden Boy”. It’s just another race with an all too familiar cast and plot.
Now trained by David Hayes, and wishing Haysey the best with his high profile stable acquisition, especially after his drama on Friday when his family’s pet beagle was bitten by a poisonous snake during a hike- the beagle is on the mend- it’s been tough for us (and quite a few others) to warm to the Champion galloper. Why? We find his owner- Patrick Kwok-to be a bit of a plonker. There’s no other appropriate word.
Plonker Pat
Though having respect for his parents who worked their way up from extremely humble beginnings to be the successful owners of the SaSa cosmetics brand, Plonker Pat comes across as a pasty little rich boy and showboater.
Sure, if you have it, flaunt it, but also try to rein it in. Especially the nouveau riche in horse racing in Hong Kong- and we all know who they are- taking to Instagram to show off their latest purchases and where they’ve been and with whom while constantly talking about their net worth is gauche and tacky. It shows insecurity and a lack of class.
As for the hyperbole behind the Celebration Cup and the return of the now eight year old Beauty Generation, it’s not worked. It’s evident by the lack of interest, even on Twitter where everyone has an opinion, to the “burning question”- “The Mighty Miler” or “The Golden Boy”? Who cares? And how many great minds did it take to come up with THAT marketing corn dog?
More importantly, and as the SCMP’s chief racing writer Tom Biddington correctly pointed out recently, most of the “best” horses racing in Hong Kong are, at best, second rate.
The Refresh button needs to be pressed quickly and good new equine blood introduced.
For example, we wait with bated breath to see the very good former Queensland sprinter The Drinks Cart make his debut in Hong Kong for trainer Tony Cruz.
This practice of going to the same well is why it’s so important for the image of Hong Kong racing that the highly promising Golden Sixty be marketed strategically and in a timely manner as the galloper continues on his winning ways.
As for today, one doubts that “The Golden Boy” is ready to win this race- but could purely on class. We’ll look to the stars- Ka Ying Star with The Chadster up.
The rise of Golden Sixty this season will be a very good local success story- an unraced galloper before arriving in Hong Kong and starring a Made In Hong Kong team comprising trainer Francis Lui, regular rider Vincent Ho and apparently bought for connections by former local pinup female apprentice Kei Chiong.
If “The Mighty Miler” beats the usual suspects just as he’s done time and time again, the same old Beauty Gen People dressed in all their finery will trudge up to the presentation podium for another boring photo opp. Save us. Please.
The day starts off with a Class 5 race over 1000 metres followed by another Class 5 race. Hardly the stuff to get pulses racing. We’ll pass.
Though wearing necklaces made of garlic when approaching anywhere near those dreaded all weather races, we like the booking of ten pound claimer Jerry Chau on races 6 and 7.
In these two races, Jer is on Blotting Paper- you know what we mean-and Eight Trigrams, respectively. They’re good place chances in two very competitive looking races.
In Race 6, chances are also given to Handsome Rebel (1), Fortune Happiness (2), Pearl Champion (3) and Star Superior (8). The veteran Viva Council (12), a dirt track specialist, could easily upset the dim sum cart.
In Race 7, apart from Eight Trigrams (5), we would watch out for Czarson (4), Sky Show (9) and Thou Shalt Sing (12).
Race 9 is a wide open race with chances given to Falcon Turbo (4)- switched from Douglas Whyte to Tony Millard which should certainly spice up interest in its run- Big Fortune (7), Biz Power (8) and Triple Triple (14).
Elsewhere, the last race should see a clash between last season’s Griffin Of The Year in Good Luck Friend (6), Winning Method (5) who has worked superbly for this race, and Green Aeon (7), an easy last start winner at Happy Valley for the Magic Man.
With Joao Moreira committed to Good Luck Friend, the ride on the latter has gone to Blake Shinn, both birthday boys today, for the very much in-form Caspar Fownes yard. It might be the best chance the Aussie has of riding his first winner for this racing season.
Could anything beat these three? It’s horse racing. Anything is possible. If pressed for other chances, we’d look at Mr Croissant (2) and Armando (10) and as a good outsider for quartet bets Magic Legend (12)
Just remember to enjoy watching the racing. The money can wait. It’s somehow lost its importance.
We’re living in life-changing times where priorities have changed. Make money and hoard money, but what for? To purchase new designer masks? Some new hand sanitizers?
All the various travel restrictions mean that we’re not even able to go anywhere anytime soon. And when we do decide to check out of here, well, you can’t take it with you.
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