Blog | Hans Ebert

WHY HONG KONG CANNOT AFFORD TO KEEP BANKING ON A ONE TRICK PONY.

A former colleague in advertising revisiting Hong Kong after over twenty years was mentioning just how much the city- and everything in it- has changed, and not for the better either. Having been invited to Riyadh for the running of the Saudi Cup and watching Japan’s Forever Young win and meeting the team behind this equine superstar, we talked about the horse racing in Hong Kong, which he had seen up close and personal last Thursday at the bang a gong Chinese New Year’s Day

Hans Ebert

7 min read

Forever Young and the Mr Miyagi and Karate Kid Effect

Gawd knows, we need Feel Good stories and we got it on Saturday at Riyadh when Japan’s wonderful Forever Young dish ran away with the spoon and the Saudi Cup for the second consecutive year. Ridden by Ryusei Sakai and trained by the almost magical Yoshito Yahagi, the win was expected, but no one gets tired of fairytales no matter how old and cynical one gets. Before continuing, a bit of history, especially as we have entered the Lunar New Year of the Horse… My favourite horse

Hans Ebert

3 min read

BLABBALOO AND THE ARF ARF PEOPLE!!!

What can one say about the dulcet tones and The Online Voice of Australian racing that is Gareth Hall? Entertaining, definitely, and like a dog with a bone, when after a story where he might sniff a bet, he becomes as hard working and committed as James Brown about gettin’ it on up and getting on it. Particularly arresting is when he basically salivates whenever interviewing a jockey or trainer for even a morsel of what might be considered a tip, something he turned into a fi

BLABALOO!!!

3 min read

BY POPULAR DEMAND!!! THE RETURN OF ARF ARF!!! MORE HOWLING AT THE MOON!!!

“Billionaires' and Royalist clubs trying to attract the mass market... interesting”. The problem is that it’s 2026 and there’s still the same old problem, and instead of this problem going away, there are actually more problems, because those given the reins to solve problems, perhaps don’t wish to as opposed to not knowing what to do next. Why? Because maybe actually solving problems might make those who have been leading the band like Guy Lombardo did might feel that they c

Hans Ebert

3 min read

Can Hong Kong ever be Cool?

I’m writing this early in the morning with the Beatles playing in the background, listening to some of their earliest originals and wondering how they wrote and produced all the music that they did and swept many of us up in a groundswell of awe and joy while also asking us why we couldn’t write a song like “Girl” or “I’ll Follow The Sun” or the very much overlooked “I’ll Be Back” or, well, just something that came even close to what they were doing before Strawberry Fields F

Hans Ebert

4 min read

IS THE HKJC PIVOTING INTO EQUESTRIAN SPORTS AND THE YEAR OF THE HORSE?

As it’s seemingly become The Word Of The Day, why not use “pivot” and ask whether the Hong Kong Jockey Club is pivoting towards far more emphasis and effort in the promotion and marketing of equestrian events? With the Lunar New Year of the Horse around the corner and Longines very much involved in horses and time keeping in the sport that goes back to 1869 and the first pocket watch while investing in a more affluent and sophisticated audience that started with the advertisi

Hans Ebert

3 min read

When OneTeam comes together…

I’ve been talking about teamwork for a few years now and how the type of teamwork where all the parts fit might not lead to instant fame and riches, but it lays down the groundwork from where the unexpected can grow. What I have been seeing now for years is the lack of real teamwork, because maybe the different parts don’t really fit for one reason or another, but mainly because of an “imbalance” in talent and different levels of experience and maybe even tolerance. Often, I

Hans Ebert

5 min read