The Brazilian Magic Man João Moreira makes his much anticipated return to Hong Kong racing today though, to be frank, apart from perhaps his ride in the first race- the Caspar Fownes trained Telecom Missile (6) which could win in the small field- his book of rides look rather weak. The book is made to look even weaker with his ride Explosive Witness being withdrawn, but is Joao concerned?
It’s always good to have some Magic floating around at the races though we’re not expecting to see this continuing for the entire Hong Kong racing season, no matter what anyone says- including João. Of course, we could be wrong...
Elsewhere, having announced to the media his special invitation to attend the Memorial service for Queen Elizabeth 11 in the UK, Trainer David Hayes will not be at Shatin to grace the common folk with his presence.
As he had quietly left after being invited for the same memorial service, champion Trainer Chris Waller was not in Australia yesterday to watch his brilliant sprinter Nature Strip win again, this time at Rosehill, and one of five winners on the day for James McDonald.
David Beckham, meanwhile, despite being formally invited to attend the services, queued up with the public to say his Goodbyes to this very special lady of the people.
It always baffles us when some need to scream things out when these can be said in a whisper. Know what we mean?
With this being only the third meeting of the new Hong Kong racing season, it’s very early days to see how all the pieces will fit.
It’s almost like a dress rehearsal with quite a few players needing to get winners on the board, build safety nets for themselves to secure licenses for next season and also quickly build up various support systems for what we see as being The Season Of The Witch.
Like all the uncertainties affecting and facing Hong Kong, horse racing in the city is quite a flambé of confusion, insecurities and weird vibes. It’s like waiting for Gladys Knight and the Pips and boarding that midnight train to Georgia.
As for the races today, with a massive Six Up jackpot up for grabs, many will be using the John Size trained Bundle Of Joy in the second leg as a one out banker.
Of course, if rolled, this would help in having the Six Up pay more than chump change. Could it be rolled? It shouldn’t, but since when are their certainties in horse racing?
Always seeing dirt races as something of a taboo when betting, we’d be going wide in race eight as this SCREAMS out “UPSET!” like a banshee in heat.
All in all, it’s quite a comme ci comme ça afternoon of horse racing at Shatin, and perhaps representative of the current mood in Hong Kong: bleak.
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