Stupidity has no boundaries, Winfried. Let’s not be naive.

No one had to even mention the appearance of actor and Eighties heartthrob Jason Donovan, but having a staunch Hong Kong Rugby Sevens supporter and friend from New Zealand take a swig of his beer and belch out over lunch,“Whatever this thing that the Hong Kong Jockey Club is talking about better not muck up my Sevens weekend. It’s been doing bloody well on its own!”

This brought up the question of sponsorship of the Sevens, and whether the architect of the recent success of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens- Robbie McRobbie- is somehow involved in this clunky named “Racing with Rugby”.

To add to the weirdness of it all, somewhere in the middle of all this “entertainment” is actor and singer Jason Donovan, hardly a name that’s going to see tourists from around the world parachuting into Hong Kong for some wonton night fever.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges aka WEBMAN and the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club with seemingly some role to do with horse racing anywhere in the world might be seen as a “visionary” in what is an industry that’s probably seen better days, but how much of a fan of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens is the 71 year old German?

Usually five days of raucous Sevens fun with international fans flocking to the bars and clubs in Wanchai, Lan Kwai Fong and anywhere down Wyndham Street, one wonders if in all his decades in Hong Kong, WEBMAN has even BEEN to a Sevens weekend, especially when the finals are on Sunday, which clashes with the races at Shatin?

Why would WEBMAN mention at a press conference on the weekend that making “Racing with Rugby” a reality had taken almost a decade of negotiations?

Perhaps, because if it ain’t broke, why fix it? The HK Rugby Sevens has certainly done extremely well on its own without needing to piggyback with anything, especially when at its original home in the old Hong Kong Stadium.

To some, this “Racing with Rugby” looks like a desperate attempt to “revitalise” the flagging interest in Hong Kong racing, together with perhaps some “bigly” concerns from the government about the appeal of the still relatively new Kai Tak stadium.

Surely, there are questions about its location, convenience factor and without the much loved familiarity of the former home of the Sevens with its hugely popular South Stand and easy access to whatever was happening during those years when Hong Kong was still, well, happening?

Knowing something about the importance of the HK Rugby Sevens weekend to longtime sponsors like Cathay Pacific and the HSBC from my days in advertising and years with Universal Music and EMI Music, and the audience it attracted to its old home, this somewhat goofy attempt at “entertainment” looks more like a Monty Python skit than anything that’s going to be a game changer.

If this new “two in one” happy meal combo will give international tourists twice the entertainment value, and a reason for at least a five day stay in Hong Kong, either someone’s dreaming, or they’ve been on the Ka Ying Kool Aid.

Winfried, take a break. Come to my garden party next week, chill out, listen to Indigo Town, talk to friends who have no time to “Love Racing”, nor listen to what’s rising, or watch simulcasts from Newra Elya and Kazakhstan and Turffontein etc and just allow some Hope and Light and Happiness into your life.

Puhleese, man.