BLABALOO!!!

That wrinkly 30-40 year old chestnut about horse racing in China raised its head once again last week with yet another of those rather convoluted press releases where the venerable 71 year old Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO is only quoted where he seemingly wants to be quoted and with the rest of the stuff going through to the keeper with those who bother reading this congee of wontons just skimming through it and not really giving a flying duck because the entire future of the world is right now hanging by a toenail.

From the latest piece of HKJC fluff and credited to someone named Jay Rooney, there will now perhaps be four race meetings held at the state of the art and quite splendiferous yada yada yada Conghua Training Facilities which, we understand can accommodate 6000 very upmarket people. It also sees the HKJC co-operating with Guangzhou’s horse industry’s five year plan and mentioned as being a “key pillar of China’s five year National Equine Industry Development Plan” plus the usual mantra of there being “world class racing and entertainment”.

What’s not mentioned, and kinda interesting is a name that’s a blast from the past in HKJC senior executive Scarlett Leung, below, a longtime favourite of the CEO, is baaaaaack.

The lady who came up with the master plan for what were called IBU tables- interactive “edutainment tools” and meant to teach newbies how to bet, and plonked down at the venue once called Adrenaline, knocked a few hips out of joint as these million dollar tables just got in the way of everything, and mysteriously disappeared.

No one said a word about the disappearance act though plenty was said in various meeting places around town and provided much merriment for some.

The enigmatic Ms Leung was suddenly and surprisingly wheeled out of retirement some months ago and put in charge of straightening out whatever it was that needed straightening out at Conghua. Maybe a nose?

As for the latest update on horse racing in China- meaning in Conghua- other than how “there is believed to be four race meetings for the 2026-27 season starting on October 31”, mentioned is that equestrian events are also planned to be held in what will be “a significant advancement in the development of racing and equestrian excellence for the Greater Bay Area, forging a dynamic, ongoing connection between Hong Kong and the Mainland through the power of the horse.” Whew!

Yeah, well, okay and though we think we get it despite it coming across being a little bit of a clumsy dumpy piece of communications,  this morsel caught our interest: “A new National Equine Industry Development Plan is expected to arrive in March, giving the Jockey Club policy direction on racing and other other events at Conghua for the next five years.”

Someone in China is giving the HKJC “Policy directions? Not exactly a surprise because the tail can never ever wag the big dog.

We think - maybe and perhaps- we now read what’s really and probably maybe and perhaps being said between the lines. But, Que Sera Sera as, like millions of others, we have far more important things to think about like what might happen to the world tomorrow- and not in five years time.