HK DEC 12 - MAJOR RACEDAY LIVES UP TO ITS HYPE

By Hong Kong Jockey Club | Sunday, December 12, 2010

Snow Fairy’s barnstorming win in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup and the breathtaking finish to the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint highlighted another edition of Sha Tin’s major raceday of the year.

The spoils were shared among four regions with Mastery (UAE) winning the Vase; J J The Jet Plane claiming the Sprint for South Africa; the impressive Snow Fairy winning for Britain and the locals taking the Mile with Beauty Flash.

With no fewer than twenty-eight international runners in the four Group One races, Hong Kong, this year, had an overwhelming response and endorsement from owners and trainers across the globe - making it the most cosmopolitan of all the world’s great racing carnivals.

“Today we have really staged the turf world championships, as our four international Group One races of the day were won by horses coming from the UAE (Mastery), South Africa (J J The Jet Plane), Great Britain (Snow Fairy) and Hong Kong (Beauty Flash).

“This shows horses coming from different countries and regions can deliver good finishes in our international events,” summed up Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

“It’s good for our Hong Kong racing brand and demonstrates our ‘can-do’ spirit. It’s good for the Hong Kong brand too.”

Total turnover on the meeting was HK$1,057 million on the 10 races - the highest in eight years, since 2003.

The attendance of both racecourses exceeded 54,000.
This year the turnover on the Vase, Sprint and Cup races was significantly higher than last year.

The numbers were down on the Mile but this was affected by the late scratching of Able One who was found to be lame and withdrawn by Stewards.

Gerald Mosse led home a trifecta for French jockeys with his win for Hong Kong and Tony Cruz - one of the territory’s racing legends - when Beauty Flash scored a memorable Mile win despite drawing the outside barrier.

Mosse has now won each of the International races and boasts seven wins in the majors on this day - a tally matched only by Olivier Peslier.

The racing world’s best known ambassador Frankie Dettori produced a masterful ride on Mastery to win the Vase for Godolphin - with Redwood second and the Melbourne Cup winner Americain a brave third.

It was Dettori’s sixth win in the December’s international event in Hong Kong.

The Sprint was a truly marvellous race. There was only an inch between J J The Jet Plane and Rocket Man. The Plane was just faster than the Rocket and there was not much further back to the mighty Sacred Kingdom.

Snow Fairy confirmed her claim to be the best three-year-old filly in the world with a breathtaking win in the Cup for Ed Dunlop and Ryan Moore.

Dunlop was here with Ouija Board in 2005 (to win the Vase) and now he has another champion filly.

Snow Fairy, like Ouija Board, is expected to stay in training next season.

More articles