Today is the first night meeting of the new season at the iconic Happy Valley Racecourse, and though bothering to go out in the evenings to anywhere in Hong Kong after 8pm has lost its joie de vivre for many, one wonders just how surreal things might look in the confines of the city track.
Nothing to lose sleep over, but with no ‘live’ music, and the type of crowd happy to just get out of the apartment, it’s not exactly going to be a night full of most excellent “good vibes”.
Those “good vibes” are lost somewhere in The Age Of Aquarius or Woodstock and also when things were fun, funky and groovy at the Beer Garden of what once were Happy Wednesday nights.
Those days are gone forever, and left over three years ago when Hong Kong went into lockdown mode, so let’s just do the Hippie Happy Dance...
With many of that younger International crowd from a once trendy area like Sheung Wan having closed their businesses down and left Hong Kong for greener pastures, these Wednesday night races are for a more local customer segment and at a restaurant like the Gallery.
Everybody say, Hello, Kitty!
Adrenaline? Unable to serve food except for maybe some Jack ‘N Jill spicy nachos, and also with no ‘live’ music plus, before the year is out, months of major renovations to the venue which, despite its faults, housed many great memories, we believe that it’s time to fade in the theme from “Twin Peaks”. Cuppa Java, anyone?
There are eight races tonight for mainly horses in the lower classes, and to be perfectly frank, or Fanny, there’s nothing to write home about.
It’s Dullsville, daddy-O and Back To The Future stuff like most of Hong Kong in 2022.
Meanwhile, João Moreira is back in Hong Kong and saving himself for his return to race riding on Sunday.
Reading into what he’s had to say to the racing media, it was one of those very clever quotes that said much, but really meant nothing- like being committed to riding in the city for the entire season with the proviso that, hopefully, being back in Hong Kong doesn’t result any reoccurrences of the physical and mental stress problems that plagued him last season.
Other than no João until the weekend and the Zac Attack set to ride his usual quota of winners, the city track has always been happy hunting grounds for the combination of Lyle Hewitson and Douglas Whyte whereas Harry Bentley, with one winner already on the board, Silvestre de Sousa who’s been welcomed back into the fold like a prodigal son, and Alexis Badel should be amongst the winners. But...
It’s going to be an interesting few weeks for Hewitson who has been confirmed by Whyte as the rider for the Group 2 winning stayer Russian Emperor for the Shatin Trophy in October.
With Blake Shinn having helped unlock the potential in the stayer on a softish track, and with the rider now happy to be back in Australia, this is a good opportunity for the likeable young South African to shine.
One must credit Trainer Douglas Whyte and the owners for having the confidence in him to offer Lyle Hewitson the ride.
If this turns out to be a winning ride on the expensive purchase, it points to him retaining the ride, especially important perhaps being during the Hong Kong International Races.
If not, there might be a need to try and lure Blake Shinn back to Hong Kong though we’re not holding our collective breaths that this will happen.
Blake Shinn is very much in demand, he’s riding winners without a mask on, and is happy to have escaped being a bubble boy in Hong Kong.
Nothing more to add, really, except maybe tofollow the Danny Shum stable and the rides of Harry Bentley who we’re tipping to have a breakthrough season.
That’s about it- at least for right now, anyway.
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