With Super Typhoon Yagi in the rear-view mirror and the usual suspects ready to resume hostilities, the scene is set for a bumper opening day of the 2024-25 racing season at Sha Tin on Sunday.
While more than 80mm of rain has hit the New Territories racetrack in the past few days, the well-documented draining capabilities of the Sha Tin track means officials are hoping to race on a good surface should Sunday remain relatively dry.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu is expected to be on track to strike the gong to officially open the season before presenting the spoils to the winners of the afternoon’s feature, the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m), while the day will finish with a parade-ring performance from Mirror’s Edan Lui Cheuk-on.
Punters will no doubt be out in force for the first Hong Kong meeting in 56 days, with jackpots totalling HK$13.5 million on offer across the card.
Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges remains realistic about the coming season, however, after last campaign saw turnover drop by 4.5 per cent following a string of record years.
“We cannot defy the gravity of the economy and I think one has to be realistic that the economic situation has not improved,” he said.
“If we hit the same level [of turnover] as last season, we would consider that a success.
“I expect that the local market will still be soft but I would be a little bit more optimistic about field sizes.
“We currently have 100 more horses in training than we had last year, so we see the enthusiasm to be an owner coming back. The field sizes should have a positive impact [on turnover].”
On the track, seven-time champion jockey Zac Purton will begin the season that will likely see him surpass Douglas Whyte’s all-time Hong Kong win record by trying to snare Sunday’s feature aboard David Hayes’ exciting youngster Ka Ying Rising.
While many of the same names – including Hugh Bowman, Karis Teetan and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu – will be gunning for Purton’s crown, there is one new name on the jockeys’ roster – Britney Wong Po-ni.
Indentured to David Hall, the 10-pound claiming apprentice is the first female to be a permanent fixture in the riding ranks since Kei Chiong Ka-kei seven years ago and she begins her Hong Kong career aboard Glorious Expert in Sunday’s fourth event.
While Purton looks to have a mortgage on an eighth jockeys’ premiership, for the reigning champion in the training ranks – Francis Lui Kin-wai – it is quite the opposite.
A brilliant winner of his maiden title in July, Lui will have his work cut out repeating his heroics as the likes of Pierre Ng Pang-chi, John Size and Frankie Lor Fu-chuen come gunning for him.
Ng will be smarting after leading for much of last term before being pipped by Lui on the final day, while Size is never far from the action and can be expected to improve sharply on his 50-win effort in 2023-24.
