Graham Cunningham: the show goes on for Hong Kong Derby to keep bubble intact

It's racing, Jim, but not as we know it.

Paraphrasing Star Trek's Mr Spock (Google him, kids) wins few prizes for originality as Hong Kong Derby day beckons but HKJC enterprise and political agility have been central to ensuring that tomorrow’s big race goes ahead.

Acting in lockstep with government advice, Hong Kong racing closed its doors swiftly once it was clear that coronavirus might pose a similar threat to the SARS epidemic that killed 300 local citizens in 2003.

Initial restrictions that cut the Chinese New Year crowd on January 27 from 100,000 to under 10,000 were soon tightened with average attendance dipping under 500 as only owners, trainers and officials – all wearing medical masks and temperature checked – were allowed entry.

All 101 Off Course Betting Branches have been closed to minimise public gatherings but online trade is king and betting turnover has rallied strongly after a predictable early hit.

"Why can't we continue racing behind closed doors?" is a perfectly reasonable question for British fans to ask as they tune in to Sky Sports Racing's coverage of Sha Tin’s showpiece on Sunday morning.

It is business as usual for racing at Sha TinCredit: Edward Whitaker

Any answer is tied in with Britain’s need to protect emergency services but comparisons with Hong Kong hold limited value, not least because HK’s ambulance cover is almost exclusively in-house with just two fixtures a week governed by an influential not-for-profit organisation whose stated aim is to continuously act for the betterment of society.

The fact that society will benefit to the tune of over £15 million via tax and charity contributions from Derby day alone provides a clear incentive to race on safely but going ‘behind closed doors’ has created an eerie vibe, with Sha Tin’s huge stands deserted and Happy Valley’s famous Wednesday night buzz replaced by the semi-detached sound of jockeys shrieking for racing room amid the fabled skyscrapers.

Champion jockey Zac Purton would have settled for silence before last year’s Derby, when the strongly fancied Dark Dream became agitated as the stalls were being loaded.

“The Derby normally starts right in front of a packed main stand and my whole race was lost last year when my horse got fizzed up and missed the break,” he said. “Racing is in the lifeblood of society here and the Club have been very proactive. For us jockeys it’s always nice to hear cheers in a big race. It’s very different at the moment but we certainly need something to brighten spirits and have some type of normality.”

Plans to relax restrictions to allow more people into Sha Tin have been shelved due to a spike in infections imported from abroad, with HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges stressing the dangers of complacency and the need to “keep our bubble intact.”

A few bubbles will burst soon after 8.35am on Sunday but, fuelled by a Tote monopoly still generating over £100m in turnover per meeting, racing continues to help Hong Kong's heart beat faster.

Granted, watching a Derby with nothing like the usual 60,000 present isn’t racing as we know it. But, as the sport squares up to a global crisis, there are reasons aplenty to think it is racing as we need it.

A Golden opportunity for Ho and Sixty

The starstruck teenager who asked Christophe Soumillon for an autograph while on gopher duty in the Happy Valley weighing room in 2008 is primed to strike a historic blow for Hong Kong's homegrown heroes.

But don't expect any Dettori-style displays of extravagant emotion if Vincent Ho and Golden Sixty capture Sunday's BMW Hong Kong Derby.

Modesty is a core topic at the HKJC Apprentice School and any rare graduates who don't leave humble tend to acquire that quality soon enough once they start losing good rides to high-profile international rivals.

Ho has come a long way since acting as towel fetcher to the stars and has partnered the Francis Lui-trained Golden Sixty through a twelve-month run hallmarked by nine wins from ten starts and a potent turn of foot that has left the best four-year-olds in town trailing.

That acceleration was evident from Golden Sixty’s first appearance, when he rattled off the fastest closing 400m split of the day (22.34s) in a Class 4 handicap.

It proved decisive when the elegant Medaglia d’Oro gelding mastered stablemate More Than This and Champion’s Way in the Classic Mile and settled all the arguments yet again when Golden Sixty zipped between the same pair over 1800m in the Classic Cup last month.

The poise Ho showed when caught in heavy traffic between Ryan Moore and Zac Purton in the Classic Cup – which produced another rasping final quarter of 22.38s – provided a perfect snapshot of how he has matured to earn a place among Hong Kong’s finest.

Golden Sixty: out to strike in the Hong Kong Derby under Vincent HoCredit: Hkjc

And yet the vivid language the 29-year-old uses when discussing Hong Kong’s most exciting four-year-old is in marked contrast to the ‘name, rank and serial number’ style he reserves for personal achievements.

Ho describes Golden Sixty’s ability to shut a race down as “something very special” and flashes a knowing smile as he talks of how his partner “gets sour and hungry” if a rival dares eyeball him.

By contrast, inquiries about his contribution are dominated by the “need to work hard” and “continue improving” in a way that belies a determination to run his own race on and off the track.

Few riders who end a HK season with 56 winners and a percentage of £7.5m in prize-money would jet straight off for a summer stint with Mark Johnston.

Ho checked into Braveheart Towers for a second stay last summer and returned with Shergar Cup success and “a more open mind,” while a recent suspension this provided a chance to broaden horizons on a Monty Roberts horsemanship course in California.

Sunday’s challenge depends on Ho’s ability to deploy Golden Sixty’s acceleration again for a Derby win that would be the first by a homegrown rider in 25 years.

Local legend Tony Cruz had world-class rivals like Michael Kinane, Gary Stevens and Gerald Mosse behind when he rode the last of his four Derby winners in 1995.

Victory for Vincent wouldn’t smash a glass ceiling that has existed ever since but it would certainly dent it. And, though selfies have usurped autographs since that nervous night at the Valley, who knows what that might mean for any kids on gopher duty this weekend?

Former Fahey pupil out for Derby glory

Don’t be alarmed if you hear loud cheering over breakfast in Malton on Sunday as Richard Fahey’s former pupil More Than This bids to land the Hong Kong Derby.

Former Fahey horses have done extremely well in Hong Kong, with 2013 Super Sprint winner Peniaphobia winning nine times and £4m in prize-money and smart miler Simply Brilliant (Senator in his Musley Bank days) landing a sixth local success last Saturday.

More Than This was unbeaten in three British starts as a two-year-old – culminating in a gambled-on success in a big nursery at Goodwood in August 2018 – and his progress for veteran HK handler Francis Lui sees him line up as arguably the biggest danger to stablemate Golden Sixty.

Champion jockey Zac Purton recommended cheekpieces for the powerful Dutch Art gelding after a running-on third behind Golden Sixty in last month’s Classic Cup and was delighted to be drawn in stall one on a horse he describes as “fit, strong and happy.”

That strength was evident from the moment Fahey set eyes on More Than This as a yearling and the 40,000gns he cost then was dwarfed by what he calls “crazy money” when the youngster moved on a year later.

More Than This (leading): unbeaten in three British starts for Richard FaheyCredit: Mark Cranham

“He was a big, gorgeous horse and we soon knew he could gallop and that he would get better,” he said. “I must admit I thought he was a certainty at Goodwood as he was progressing so fast. By winning there we got double the money for him and it’s great to see how well he’s doing.”

Will Douglass helped broker the deal that took More Than This to his new home and Fahey left the agent in no doubt that he was securing a bright prospect. “I promised Will he was a Group 2 horse,” he said.

“Had he stayed here I would have probably gone down the Britannia Handicap route but I think he would have definitely ended up in Group races.”

Whereas some trainers dread the phone ringing if it means losing a good prospect, Fahey says that selling horses abroad forms an essential part of his business. “I like them ringing, I need them ringing,” he added. “Some get a reputation of selling horses who are burned out but I won’t let that happen and the more races they go on to win the better.

“Since More Than This went to Hong Kong I’ve followed every move he’s made. I think being gelded was the making of him. I always thought a mile and a quarter would be right up his street and I’ll be absolutely over the moon if he wins on Sunday”

More Than This is one of six British and Irish imports in Sunday’s big race. The sextet also includes Decrypt, third in the 2,000 Irish Guineas last year for Paddy Twomey, and Private Secretary, a Goodwood Listed winner in his John Gosden days.

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