Under the heading, “Can the Jockey Club attract star riders, or will a Covid hangover loom large?” South China Morning Post racing writer Sam Agars asks some extremely pertinent and ballsy questions.
It’s a good and timely piece on Hong Kong horse racing and about what’s needed- marquee value names- to make December’s International Races tick and tock and rattle and hum.
As part of a mainstream audience, perhaps what’s needed are answers to the question or questions which mean having to look beyond horse racing- and the mention how the Hong Kong Jockey Club seemingly has all the money to get whoever and whatever it wants.
To address the elephant in the room, is this the only and smart solution- to just keep paying more and more and more for everything and everyone? Where’s the return on investment, and what’s the Exit plan, Tonto?
Is this preoccupation with money still true today as the world creeps towards another new year with nothing anywhere in the world being quite like what it was?
If being totally honest with one’s self, and looking at priorities, where exactly does horse racing even fit into today’s multi tiered Hong Kong life with its buffet of socio economic and other vexing and vaxing problems?
Today’s Hong Kong is missing so many pieces that once made the city the world’s longest cocktail party and noisy Chinese banquet with plenty of Yum Sing Yum Singing.
Here’s now some place trying to keep up pretences while still wondering how it can attract tourism when there are hardly the types of attractions to have travellers jumping onto a plane to get here toute de suite.
Koh Samui, maybe. Singapore with so much happening there and built around the F1 weekend making its once mighty neighbour look like Oliver Twist? Definitely. Hong Kong is still trying to find its bananas and dim sum and then some.
There are only so many cultural centres and palaces showcasing patriotism that one can take.
Though still early days and with new casino licenses having been tendered and announcements to be made in December, there’s a very strong push to make Macau the Monte Carlo of Asia and a tourist destination where, at least on the surface, it’s not all about gambling.
Hong Kong might just benefit from a rub-off effect and where the tail wags the dog. Who knows?
This is where the very last minute addition of the powerful Genting Group into the mix and the directive from the Macau government that all presentations for the six gaming licenses include theme parks and everything else not even thought up yet, is more than interesting. Even to three blind mice, it’s very telling.
This could lead to some extremely exciting opportunities to broaden tourism, and what really constitutes “tourist attractions” while Hong Kong dithers.
In turn, all this might be what is needed for horse racing to understand the importance of a two-pronged business strategy- maintain that ageing and captive market who enjoy gambling on which horse will come first, and, perhaps, finally, look at how to attract a bigger mainstream audience by offering far more entertainment-driven attractions- and an emotional attachment. Oui?
One doesn’t need to read that deeply into Sam Agars’ genteel foxtrot about Hong Kong racing to see that he’s waving ta-ta to the Zac And Joao Show.
He no doubt knows that some attractions cannot be replaced, because maybe they’ve run their course.
The last time we looked there’s been a changing of the guard that’s not only affected every business and industry, it’s affected the world.
There are some businesses I am familiar with taking very penetrating looks into their business structure and strategy and improving departments like Human Resources.
These changes are so that hires aren’t being hauled up from the same old well, whereas there’s always going to be questions as to who is in line to be the next Steve Jobs. There’s more...
With the current crop of world leaders having past their Use By date by almost a decade, and the global economy going more and more South, or has completely tanked, where exactly does a marginal pastime like horse racing fit into the grand scheme of things?
If horse racing still doesn’t know, and is only playing for time with the same old same old and dressing these up in designer duds, horse racing is perhaps kidding itself and its shareholders and looking dated and staring at a rather limited run.
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