By Alan Carasso
The Hong Kong Jockey Club stages its first-ever meeting at its state-of-the-art Conghua Racecourse Saturday, some 200km north of Hong Kong, with five exhibition races set to offer full prize money, but no pari-mutuel wagering.
The richest race of the afternoon, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy (1800m), carries prize money of HK$2 million and is restricted to graduates of the Hong Kong International Sale. Having drawn a field of six, it will be contested at the distance of 1200 metres, featuring a chute start that links up with the course proper at the entrance to the turn. The rest of the program consists of one race in Class 3, two in Class 4 and one in Class 5 at 1200, 1800m and 2200m, just over one circuit of the 10-furlong turf oval. The event is being held in collaboration with Conghua District Government and 16 of Hong Kong's 21 registered trainers will be represented at the meeting.
Michael Chang, who famously sent Rich Tapestry (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) to become the first Hong Kong horse to win in the US, has taken an open-minded approach in sending in two horses for the meeting.
“It looks like it is a big track and both my horses are straightforward so I don't think it will cause them any problems at all,” he told the HKJC's David Morgan. “All of the planning for taking the horses there has gone smoothly, so it all should be fine.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
