Cryptic notes from the crib
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Jamie Richards into Hong Hong next season. Anyone leaving the building with Elvis?
It’s been expected and now it’s official: With record breaking and leading New Zealand Trainer Jamie Richards moving to Hong Hong next season, one wonders if anyone might be leaving the training ranks? A sprightly 32, the arrival of “Kid” Richards will be a blessing to those riders who have bemoaned the lack of good young trainers. The return of David Hayes doesn’t count. The Big Fella was known to many Hong Kong owners from back in the day, had a proven track record and was the perfect replacement for John Moore who had reached compulsory retirement age.
On the subject of Moore, apparently, both he and former glamour apprentice Kei Chiong, are doing a very good business- separately- in selling equine talent to their portfolio of Hong Kong owners who also rely on each for advice on which stables and riders they recommend.
Surprised? Not at all. It’s a one-stop business model that’s not exactly revolutionary. Meanwhile, the Wisdom Of Solomon by the Hong Kong Jockey Club has continued with the news that the legendary Tony Cruz has already been granted an extension of his Trainer’s licence.
This should go a long way towards ensuring longtime Hong Hong owners that all is cool, and that the popular Putha Man won’t be going anywhere in the near future. He’s definitely unique and irreplaceable and in Hong Kong to stay.
In all this frenetic moving and shaking and changes, citing Covid-19 restrictions, Brazilian Silvestre de Sousa has had a change of mind and won’t be moving to Hong Hong with his family for the next season as had been planned.
Might be for the best what with Hong Kong racing already having three boys from Brazil.
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Lessons to be learned
Blake Shinn and Karis Teetan: If Hong Kong racing- and maybe life in general- needed two examples of resilience and dedication, it’s these two and every other rider putting their lives on the line every time they go about their business on the track.
Often, we take things for granted. No one rarely rings that wake up call as nothing has affected us-personally.
Karis Teetan, along with Zac Purton and visiting Japanese rider Yuichi Fukunaga, was one of the four riders who fell last Sunday at Shatin.
This was when the Jimmy Ting-trained Amazing Star, to some, a questionable runner to take his place in this Group 1 race, and with Lyle Hewitson aboard, broke down badly and created a concertina effect of complete mayhem. Also lost in the chain reaction of events that occurred was the exciting young galloper Naboo Attack. What’s a miracle is that the riders involved survived having far more serious injuries. Zac still seems more concerned that his already crooked nose had received another dent to it and shrugged off the injuries to his 4-5 fractured ribs and wrist. He might make light of these injuries, but being sidelined and not doing what he does best- riding winners- is nothing to be flippant about.
The rider everyone worried about most was Hewitson who was the first jockey to hit the ground. It didn’t look well and the popular young South African rider can count his blessings that he’s on the mend.
Remarkably, other than riding in the very next race on Sunday, Karis Teetan who was on Naboo Attack put that day behind him and came out guns blazing at the races on Wednesday night by riding a double.
Meanwhile, despite knowing what had happened to his some of his fellow riders, and not knowing what might still be going on behind him, Blake Shinn kept riding eventual winner Sky Field as did the other riders who were away from the melee that had happened.
Shinn, who’s gone through his own personal battles through life threatening race falls, went on to take out the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint on the Caspar Fownes trained galloper.
It not only took a helluva lot of human resolve to keep a positive mind set and win the race, but also in how Blake Shinn handled everything after the race had been run.
Shinn was measured in what he had to say. His thoughts were with the fallen jockeys, the horses, the trainers and everyone else associated with what had happened.
It was a class act and few will forget how the jockey- and trainer- handled the situation.
What’s always important to keep in mind is that when the competitiveness of horse racing is in full flight, there is no time to think of anything other than winning. It’s all about giving your best and blocking out all negative thinking. You’re not in the safety of some bubble.
Perhaps there are lessons to be learned from what happened on Sunday that transcend horse racing...
Humans are often strange creatures. Some actually enjoy seeing others going through tough times. It’s some twisted quirk to their psyches.
We’re seeing this behaviour more and more in these Covid days, where, to some, it’s often only about looking after numero uno.
It’s going to be a helluva dysfunctional and selfish world if everyone thinks like this.
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Unchained and getting tangled up in the Tall Poppy Syndrome
Boredom strikes when least expected and so when aimlessly trying to find something to do to fall back asleep as the drugs weren’t working anymore, we found ourselves in the Dead People’s station.
With the Unchained One continuing his drivel that champion Hong Kong galloper Golden Sixty still needs to travel and prove himself outside of Hong Kong, many thoughts went through our head.
Like what Unchained might do if he ever had the opportunity to own a galloper of this quality. Go through all the various ball busting protocols needed to travel today and put Golden Sixty on a plane to Ascot? Talk about a bad “punt”...
Then, out of nowhere came his doosra about how as the galloper is “Australian born and bred”, Golden Sixty would have “more of us over here behind him”. Something like that...
The man really needs to get out more. The Tall Poppy Syndrome is suffocating him.
What made us laugh out even louder was when he continued to play the serial village idiot by talking about the prize money in horse racing and blurted out how Australian racing would benefit, “if there’s no horse racing in Hong Kong???!!!” Huh?
The rest of his team were probably singing to themselves, “You say it best when you say nothing at all”.
David Hayes was a guest on this segment about Hong Kong International Race Day. The hosts included “blue eyes”, a very subdued Sharkie who might have nodded off, and a 29 year old named Katherine Coleman, below, from the Peter Moody stable. She kept her wits about her as craziness bounced off walls and presented herself well.
After some small talk about dim sum, Australian reds and his weight, the Australian Hall Of Famer was asked how he and his stable staff “felt” about losing Naboo Attack in that fall- seriously now- and who he thought was the better rider between Zac, Joao and J-Mac.
Let’s just say that Haysey isn’t known as “Sugar Lips” for nothing.
He kinda sidestepped that land mine knowing all too well about that unique Chinese quirk known as “face”.
It wasn’t the most politically correct answer by the big fella, but by now, we just wanted to go back to Kansas with Toto.
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MUGSHOTS
It was a lazy Friday afternoon and we somehow ended up watching the races at Moe. In one of the races coming up, the favourite On The Record was showing $1.45 before drifting to $1.75, then $3.40 before going off at $4.40.
Meanwhile, another runner in the race- Little Pickle- was backed in from $4.60 to $2.40.
Someone knew what was going on.
On The Record was always at the back of the field and came stone, cold, motherless and loveless last. Little Pickle won with a dill in the air.
The Stewards Report would have made fairly interesting reading.
Another thing: Ever kept track on the number of favourites, especially in the smaller tracks around Oz, who play up behind the barriers, are then trotted around for the vets to cast their beady eyes over them, are passed fit to run and almost always end up at the back of the field?
Funny that, wot?
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Gotta love those “celebrity tipsters” with their “game plans” and where, after going on and on to cover their bases, no one is the wiser as to what they said. But the next day, they had a “fill up”. Deflect! Deflect! Back! Back, you fools!
It’s as bad as those usual weekend radio tipsters who offer up 4-5 legs for a “flexi” Quaddie and which pays less than $300.
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Who’s the newcomer to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Broadcasting Team who was well setup for a fake interview with The Influencer? No, the video was never released.
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Winners Are Grinners
Damien Thornton
Rode three consecutive winners at Yarra Valley yesterday afternoon and added one more at Moonee Valley in the evening. If following the rider and doing the maths, that added up to riding SEVEN winners in 24 hours. Very very well done!!!
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The inaugural running later tonight of the $1.45 MILLION TAB Phoenix and a game changer for greyhound racing.
With its slots, huge prize money etc, The Everest of greyhound racing with special mention to Gareth Hall for his relentless marketing of the race.
The winner? Incanto Rupee.
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Could Hong Kong be getting ready to play Cupid?
It’s no secret that Hong Kong racing fans and the Chinese racing media are absolutely lock, stock and barrel sold on the very marketable couple of jockeys Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle.
Hollie Doyle appeared in Hong Kong for the first time at last year’s International Jockeys Championships. It was telegraphed very early on that she would win on Harmony N Blessed, the raging favourite in the last race of the night trained by David Hayes. And she did.
This year, she made a popular reappearance at the same competition and won on outsider Viva Hunter. It was a tough and excellent ride.
Also riding this year was fiancé Tom Marquand. The extremely good young rider made a winning debut in the city in the same competition on Awesome Treasure for...David Hayes.
From a marketing point of view, having the couple competing against each other at every race meeting would be, well, lovely.
One understands that the Hong Kong Jockey Club just might be thinking along the same lines.
Boing!
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Portuguese Egg Tarts, anyone?
Who are the racing personalities in Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and New Zealand plus a well known restaurateur and celebrity chef who are coming together to create a side business and Portuguese Egg Tart franchise? Could be a smart move.
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