Matt Brocklebank looks back on an eventful week in the Far East as he heads home following FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin.
The journey home can often be challenging, for many different reasons.
On the way back from school one day as a 15-year-old, I recall having to take the lead in changing a tyre on a fairly beat-up old Ford Escort. The wind was biting, we were isolated somewhere on the fells of South Lakeland, and the kind lady from down the valley who would occasionally give me a lift – along with her two daughters – kept calling out ‘what fun!’ and ‘such an adventure!’ in the manner of an old public school teacher attempting to cajole some level of enthusiasm from their pupils heading off for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
There have been other travelling travails; lost baggage, 180° skids in icy conditions, replacement bus services and drivers momentarily appearing to fall asleep at the wheel. But as my shuttle bus turned towards Hong Kong International Airport on the small island of Chek Lap Kok ahead of the flight back to England, I’m inclined to believe that not only will none of that come to pass on this occasion, but that a long journey home can sometimes act as a welcome tonic.
Time spent in one’s own head allows the opportunity to fully unwind and take stock following a period outside of the usual bubble. And what a week it’s been; a first taste of Asia and what now feels like a long-overdue peek at the extraordinary racing scene inside the world's third-ranked global financial centre.
What immediately strikes you is that while the authorities back in Britain grapple with over-arching - and clearly seismic - issues concerning betting turnover, the black market, foal crops, attendance figures and tax hikes (along with their myriad implications), the richly-endowed Hong Kong Jockey Club sits in stark contrast with a robust funding system and swelling customer fan base.
That continued uplift in engagement is the result of a clear vision which unsurprisingly has the tech-driven, younger generations at its core.
2026 is the ‘Year of the Horse’ in Chinese astrology, said to be a lively and forward-moving period, and the two racetracks Happy Valley and Sha Tin – both owned by the HKJC and each with its own charm – are positively brimming with energy and innovation, from Disney-style light shows, AI-driven digital betting terminals, to vibrant pre and mid-meeting musical ensembles. There are food and merchandise outlets almost at every turn.
John le Carré wrote of the atmosphere at Happy Valley in his 1977 spy epic, The Honourable Schoolboy: ‘The roar choked, lifted and swelled. All round him a pitter-patter of names and numbers fluttered in the stands, the horses sprang from their traps, drawn forward by the din. The lazy first furlong had begun. Wait: frenzy will follow inertia.’
Times have changed but it still rings true. And while such romanticism can clash with the daily fare on offer at racecourses up and down the UK to sometimes give Hong Kong racing reviews a bit of a ‘News from Mars’ feel, the quality of racing on a suitably frenzied FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin shone through in glorious technicolour.
As has become expected in these parts, the local icons delivered on all that was promised.
The outrageously talented Ka Ying Rising had “monstered them” according to the commentary in his final prep race earlier in the month and there was a thick air of inevitability about him taking his winning streak to 20 with a second victory in the Chairman's Sprint Prize under Zac Purton.
Super-fast horses such as Silent Witness, Sacred Kingdom, Aerovelocity and now the latest – and greatest – sprinting talent help tell the story of this small region and, despite the din, there was something quite peaceful about witnessing Ka Ying Rising float over the ground and away from his hapless rivals.
The photos and clips that already appear in a million Instagram feeds could never do that sensation justice.
The Romantic Warrior plushies were still flying off the shelves long after James McDonald steered him to an authoritative fourth Champions Mile win – adding to the four Hong Kong Cups already on the trophy cabinet – and there’s no question he beat the right one too in Masquerade Ball, that horse having pushed Calandagan close in the Japan Cup last year.
Only one British-based horse (Presvis) had ever won any of the three FWD Champions Day Group 1s, and Sunday’s riches proved just out of reach for Royal Champion and Docklands but expectations had been kept realistic throughout the week.
Harry Eustace knows Hong Kong well and Docklands ran a big race in third. Royal Champion took fourth in the QEII Cup but Karl Burke was no doubt taken in by the sounds and sights after saddling his first runner in the former colony. They’ll both be back given the opportunity.
The jockey pool is another fascinating dynamic in Hong Kong, the vast majority on the roster living in the HKJC apartment block trackside at Sha Tin, alongside several trainers to boot. And they say don’t take your work home with you.
With Andrea Atzeni, Harry Bentley and Richard Kingscote all doing well in this jurisdiction, keep an eye out for the next wave of riders potentially heading over from Britain and Ireland, as more are bound to follow.
Having landed in the early hours (of what must now be Monday) and made my way across London from Heathrow, I’m faced with another short wait at King’s Cross ahead of the final couple of hours on the way up to Wakefield Westgate.
I’m starting to feel it, a growing sense of fatigue and that quite intense dehydration from prolonged periods in sleepless, air-conditioned spaces. Moreover, somebody has dropped a cheese and onion sandwich on the platform which some pigeons and God knows what else have already started to fight over.
On top of all this, I’ve received a WhatsApp message asking if I’m still on track to cover the school run later. I’ll be sure to kick the tyres.
The journey home can often be challenging. But what fun, such an adventure.
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