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THE BEER GARDEN BECOMES THE WINE GARDEN
We just might have to call the Beer Garden the Wine Garden, or the Garden Of Wines, at least for the next three consecutive Happy Wednesdays. Why? Because starting this Wednesday is our annual Wines In The Valley promotion starring, for your tasting pleasure, wines from all over the world.
There will be specially designed wine kiosks, master sommeliers to recommend their favourites, and, frankly, even if you don’t know a Chablis from a Chianti and a Red from a white, it will still be a great night out.
You also have a choice: Take in the fresh air and all the activities at the Beer Garden, or move on up to Adrenaline, sit down at a table with your friends, treat yourself to a full-bodied Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon, listen to the sounds of the Jennifer Palor Band, and take in all the racing action. And, though French wines being known to be the best in the world, never underestimate the Australian wines- and the Australian riders competing tonight- Zac Purton, Brett Prebble, the in-form Chad Schofield and Nash Rawiller, who’s hit his straps recently and is back to his winning ways.
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Winning the Six Up? Singer Jennifer Palor- and racing novice- makes it look so easy!
A Random Interview with Hannah Butler, girlfriend of in-form jockey Chad Schofield…
How Happy Wednesday puts FUN into being at the races!
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JENNIFER PALOR AND HER ADRENALINE RUSH
“She’s incredible”. That’s the familiar line said by those who hear Jennifer Palor for the first time, who is, without doubt the best- and most professional- singer in Hong Kong. In the Hong Kong music scene- the one where those who make and perform music in English- the exotic Filipina beauty is in a class of her own. But getting here hasn’t happened overnight. It’s taken great patience and a commitment to being the very best.
Deciding that being a flight attendant was not for her, the down-to-earth Jennifer Palor decided to pursue her real love: Singing. With Hong Kong hardly overrun by venues for ‘live’ music, her grounding was playing the hotel lounge scene- often, a tedious and creatively crippling routine- but, as she says, it gave her a platform to gain experience, both as a singer and as a performer with the skills to communicate with an audience. And trying to communicate with audiences at hotel lounges takes a very special kind of patience- the patience to put up with businessmen chattering over the singer, sometimes no reaction, the obligatory requests for “New York New York”, and the skills needed to politely turndown the advances of creepy lounge lizards.
From those days, she’s now a highly sought after artist for upmarket private functions while working, for the pure joy of it, with her side project known as Shaolin Fez, which brings together classically trained artists and jazz players in an experimental 13-22 member musical ensemble.
Of course, she’s also one of the key drawcards and a major USP of Adrenaline. This is the popular casual upmarket HKJC club at Happy Valley Racecourse with its balconies offering a panoramic view of racing in one of the most unique settings in the world, a very international clientele, plenty of products to create interactivity for those who know and are starting to learn about horse racing, a buffet area, a bar and the best ‘live’ band in Hong Kong.
“Every musician in Hong Kong and those from overseas who have played at Adrenaline know it’s the best gig in town,” says Jennifer in-between sets.
“I came here for a one-off gig as a supporting act when a singer-songwriter from overseas was the regular act and there was only time to do one song between races,” she continues. “That was almost three years ago. Since then, the venue has gone through numerous changes- all for the better, such as the quality of the sound, as it was never designed to host ‘live’ music. The audiences have grown- a very international audience- there’s much more music between races, and a real family feeling between the musicians and everyone we work with from the HKJC. They trust our judgement as musicians and we do our best to deliver what they need. It’s teamwork. It’s fun. There are no politics and dramas- only plans in place to enhance the product and create even more awareness for the Adrenaline brand. It’s a win-win situation.”
Level 2 & 3 Pavilion Stand, Happy Valley Racecourse T: 3690-3690
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JOCKEYS TO FOLLOW ON WEDNESDAY
With Silvestre de Sousa having ended his very successful short riding stint in Hong Kong on Sunday, of course the jockeys to follow are Ryan Moore, whose brilliance along with that of trainer John Size, and the class of Sun Jewellery, combined to win the Classic Cup on the weekend, and the genius of Joao Moreira.
On the subject of Sun Jewellery, it’s hard to believe that this is the same horse that won a weak five-horse race in Bairnesdale of all places when trained by Peter Moody and racing in Australia as Tan Tat Sun. It underlines the genius of John Size whose other runner in the Classic Cup- Eastern Express- was part of an extremely large four-wheel winning bet for The Fast Tracker amongst friends to run in the top three on Sunday. The Fast Tracker’s tip to win the eagerly anticipated BMW Hong Kong Derby on March 20: the Tony Cruz-trained Giovanni Canaletto which will be ridden by Magic Moreira with, again, Eastern Express, to finish in the top three. If that horse wins, a certain restaurant- with all the trimmings- could be exchanging hands.
As for jockeys to follow, not to take anything away from the other jockeys riding here, but Ryan Moore and Joao Moreira are truly in a class of their own. So, tonight, follow them you must along with the brilliance of Zac Purton, but watch out for the rides of Derek Leung and Chad Schofield. Leung, who rode his seventeenth winner of the season on Sunday, is easily the most improved local jockey in town whereas the arrival of his girlfriend- Hannah Butler below- seems to have been all the incentive Chad Schofield has needed to turn things around.
Dogged by suspensions during December, and a slight injury, The Chadster has ridden four winners in two meetings, and on Sunday, rode a treble, won a Cup race, and took home, yes, Hannah, and also his first Jockey Challenge. In this whodunit, the answer is easy: The Butler did it!
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THOR HAS ENTERED THE BEER GARDEN WITH CARNIVALE
Make way for singer and performer Thor, pictured below.
That’s his name and he’s the latest member of MOREira, now one of TWO resident bands at the Beer Garden, and who’ll be sharing vocal duties with Guitarzan Jay, female drummer Rock Cherry, instrumentalist and singer Isla, below, and bassist Daveo.
In a weird twist of irony, Thor, the brave, mythological hammer-wielding God of Thunder, also happens to be the nickname in Chinese for that other Moreira- Joao Moreira, champion jockey, and the hugely popular Magic Man of Hong Kong racing. As for the other resident band at the Beer Garden, who will alternate with MOREira every other Happy Wednesday, this will be Carnivale comprising the Brazilian musicians who played on the Samba De Moreira track featured in the music video below.
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THE HANDSOME JOCKEYS CLUB AND COULD THE WORLDS OF SHOWJUMPING AND HORSE RACING COME TOGETHER?
The Fast Track Handsome Jockeys Club has a new member- Eurico Rosa de Silva, the latest Brazilian jockey to ride in Hong Kong and who starts his one month stint here on March 1.
He might not be a jockey, but there are certainly a number of requests- and demands- that Chinese equestrian superstar Alex Hua Tian, often known as “One In A Billion” for his history making exploits in the world of eventing starting with his performance as an 18-year-old at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, be immediately inducted into the exclusive Club.
Frankly, we won’t be surprised if a movie career and huge sponsorship deals don’t await this horseman now based in the United Kingdom, and who was in Hong Kong last week as a spectator at the Longines Masters at AsiaWorld Expo.
What was quite incredible was the popularity of this event and many preferring attending it to the very disappointing concert by lady Madonna who has certainly seen better days. The Material Girl is today The Irrelevant Woman.
Getting back to the Longines Masters, keep following the exploits of Ireland’s 19-year-old showjumping phenomenon Bertram Allen, who raced away with the HKJC Trophy aboard Quiet Easy whereas the cameo appearance- and a winning one- by Joao Moreira in the HKJC’s Race Of The Riders was another highlight, and a hit on social media.
https://twitter.com/racingb_tch/status/701733350655004673?refsrc=email&s=11
https://twitter.com/racingb_tch/status/701735722148036609?refsrc=email&s=11
With the fast-growing popularity of show jumping in Hong Kong, we can’t help thinking out aloud if one day very soon these events cannot dovetail with the world of thoroughbred racing.
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Racing to win- and having FUN! How it works…
A tip: This can be a fun way to try and win BIG by pooling your resources with friends. The more choices, the bigger the outlay, so take the following as a guide: The Six Up goes from Race 3 to Race 8. If you and your friends pick two horses in each race- 2x2x2x2x2x2- this will cost the team HK$640 for a $10 ticket. Too expensive? Take the Six Up for $5, which will cost you HK$320. Or take it for even $2. The key is to have fun by winning with friends!
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