SIZE MATTERS
By now, those who follow horse racing religiously and are kinda like Jesus’s followers, but without that party pooper Judas know that trainer John Size walks on water and can turn water into a lovely bottle of Amaretto.
The unwavering support of the Australian Hall of Famer of racing has also been the reason that French jockey Antoine Hamelin has had his riding license renewed every season despite riding only a handful of winners.
On Sunday, and in the last race before Christmas, it was Hammer time with the likeable jockey finally booting home his one hundredth winner in Hong Kong and his first winner of the season. This was on the John Size trained Raging Blizzard.
Size had two runners in the race- Raging Blizzard and the raging race favourite Wunderbar, which was ridden by Zac Purton and drawn a barrier on another planet.
It would be fair to say that his jockey was hardly feeling very wunderbar about his luck of the draw and said so to anyone who asked.
To cut to the chase, Wunderbar didn’t run in the first five whereas Antoine Hamelin took the shortest way home, rode Raging Blizzard like the best horse in the race and along the inside and saluted at odds of 13-1.
In the extremely fickle game of chance, especially in Hong Kong racing, it’s good to know there still exists things like loyalty and trust and that you’re only as good as the tools one is given.
*********************
ON YER BIKE, SON!
And it came to pass that the Executive who got the Heave Ho from the HKJC for conduct unbecoming at the opening of The Beat, the hip and cool and happenin’ new name for the venue that was Adrenaline, is- ta dum- Harry Wong.
We’ve never heard of him either, but we’re led to believe that Harry’s adieu has also seen a chanteuse apparently contracted to The Beat leave for greener and more hip pastures.
*********************
HONG KONG SCORES ANOTHER OWN GOAL!
Just to show that nothing has changed, and The Hand Of Messi still haunts “mega” events in Hong Kong, the recent “Legends Assemble” exhibition football match between Real Madrid and Barcelona ended up being another own goal.
With a very sparse crowd attending the match and, apparently, a real cock-up when it came to the almost HK$7000 price tag for a meet and greet session with the players, by the time most fans made it to the venue, there was practically no one to meet or greet. Wah.
The players had left after what was described as “chaotic” planning and execution by another new and apparently very inexperienced organiser named Timewow Asia.
Questioned about the apparent debacle, there were only the sounds of silence from time wah wah or whatever they’re called.
*********************
CHAU SIU BAO BAO BAO!
We’ve always said that Jerry Chau is very probably the best local jockey riding in the city.
At the same race meeting where Hammer Time struck and J-Mac left his short riding stint in the stint with a four winner haul and will be back sooner than one can say Ka-Ching and click those red shoes together, Jerry Chau came up with three fabulous winning rides- and none exactly being favourites.
So why isn’t his talents utilised more?
Is it his cologne?
*********************
PARTING SHOT
Comments