Sunday, June 22, 2003

CHOISIR INSTALLED AS 7-4 FAVOURITE FOR JULY CUP

Airwave is next best at 7-2 with Oasis Dream on 8-1 and Trade Fair on 10-1.

** July Cup:
7-4 Choisir, 7-2 Airwave, 8-1 Oasis Dream, 10-1 Trade Fair, 16-1 Captain Rio, Just James, Continent, Membership, Zipping, Tomahawk, 20-1 Polar Way, Orientor, Malhub, Acclamation

Coral opened betting on which Derby winner will prove superior in Sunday's Irish Derby and make Dalakhani the 1-3 favourite to beat Kris Kin who is a 2-1 chance.

** Irish Derby (Match Bet):
1-3 Dalakhani, 2-1 Kris Kin

** King George VI & Queen ELizabeth Diamond Stakes:
2-1 Sulamani, 4-1 Nayef, 9-2 High Chapparal, 6-1 Kris Kin, 10-1 Alamshar, 12-1 Ange Gabriel, 16-1 Warrsan, Bollin Eric, Islington, Norse Dancer, 20-1 Indian Creek, 25-1 Bar

** Breeders Cup Classic:
5-1 Empire Maker, 8-1 Moon Ballad, 10-1 Azeri, 12-1 Medaglio D'Oro, 14-1 Perfect Drift, Funny Cide, Volponi, 16-1 Milwaukee Brew, 20-1 Bar

GODOLPHIN’S 99th GROUP LEVEL VICTORY

Leadership, ridden by Richard Hills and trained by Saeed bin Suroor, made most of the running to defeat Warrsan by a length and three quarters with Maktub another nine lengths back in third.

The four-year-old Selkirk colt broke well and raced in second before soon taking the lead. He quickened up the tempo half a mile from home to gain a clear advantage.

Warrsan tried to challenge in the final furlong but Leadership ran on gamely to take the 12-furlong race at San Siro Racecourse, Milan, Italy in a time of 2m 28.3s.

Godolphin's Diana Cooper reported: "Leadership has progressed strongly since his last race and Richard Hills gave him a very good ride.

"Richard would have liked to have got a lead but went on to set a nice steady pace before going further ahead at the start of the long straight.

"Warrsan gave chase but Leadership did not give up and had something in reserve to maintain his advantage to the post.

"Leadership acted well on the very fast ground and deserved his victory. There are no immediate plans. It is a very hot day today and we will see how the horse comes out of the race.

GODOLPHIN PLANS

Godolphin's Simon Crisford reported: "We are very pleased with Sulamani and we have decided to give him a prep race before the King George.

"The plan is to go for the Grand Prix de Saint Cloud (Group One - 12 furlongs) next Sunday en route to the King George. We felt that he would benefit from a prep race as he has not run since winning the Dubai Sheema Classic in late March.

"He is doing very well at the moment and we are looking forward to going to France and there is plenty of time between that race and the King George so we are happy with the programme.

"I think we will certainly be using a pacemaker in the Grand Prix de St Cloud and, when it comes to Ascot, we will talk about that closer to the time. We are hoping that the ground will not be too fast."

Dubai Destination, the impressive winner of the Group One Queen Anne Stakes at Ascot on June 17, is being targeted at the Group One Sussex Stakes, also over a mile, at Goodwood on July 30.

Simon Crisford commented: "We were delighted with Dubai Destination's victory at Ascot, proving himself a top-notch miler. He showed a great turn of foot on that occasion to destroy a high-class field.

"The plan at the moment is to aim for the Sussex Stakes - the course should suit him. Dubai Destination came out of the Ascot race very well."

Moon Ballad did not run up to form in the Group One Prince Of Wales's Stakes at Ascot on June 18 on his first outing since winning the Dubai World Cup. Grandera also failed to sparkle in the same Royal Ascot race.

Simon Crisford declared: "We do not have any plans for Moon Ballad at the moment. We are just going to wait and see before we decide on his programme.

"Grandera is likely to go for the Coral-Eclipse (Sandown, Group One, 10 furlongs, July 5)

Appeal of Hong Kong racing remains undiminished

The average attendance per race meeting this season was 27,900, a decline of 7.3 % from the previous season.

Mr Wong said he was very concerned about the negative effects the decrease in betting turnover would bring to Hong Kong society. The betting duties and profits tax paid by The Club constitute about 11 % of the taxes collected by the Inland Revenue Department, and The Club remains Hong Kong's premier contributor to charitable organisations.

Owing to the fall in betting turnover, the betting duty from racing paid to the government this season was HK$ 9,517 million, down HK$ 986 million, or 9.4 % from the previous season.

Mr Wong stated that turnover had slipped for the following three reasons:

- Owing to the outbreak of SARS, betting turnover and racecourse attendance dropped from March to May.

- Although illegal and offshore gambling activities were restrained to some extent after the passing of the Gambling (Amendment) Ordinance last year, there are many signs, such as the continuous police raids on illegal bookmakers, showing that these activities, especially illegal football gambling, are still rampant in Hong Kong. They directly affect betting on horse racing.

- Owing to the continuous economic downturn and high unemployment rate, people are very cautious with their spending, particularly on entertainment and leisure activities.

"Under such circumstances, the racing industry has unavoidably been hit like other industries in Hong Kong. However, the effects on us are comparatively minor because people's interest in horse racing has not diminished, only their expenditure on the sport. Also, The Club's advanced betting technology continues to offer what customer needs," Mr Wong said.

The turnover for the Mark Six lottery was estimated at HK$5 billion for the whole season, an increase of about HK$1 billion, or 24 % compared with last season and the lottery duty paid to the government has increased by HK$240 million to HK$ 1.25 billion. Payment to the Lotteries Fund, which aims to finance social welfare capital projects, has increased by about HK$150 million to HK$750 million.

Mr Wong added that it was undeniable that the decline in betting turnover was adversely affecting The Club's contribution to charity and community projects. However, The Club will continue with its commitment to looking after the needy in the society and supporting the services of local charitable organisations.

Though there is still one week to go before the end of the Club's financial year, donations to charity and community projects for the season amounted to over HK$1 billion according to our initial estimation.

Commenting on racing matters, The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director of Racing, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, said the international standing of Hong Kong racing was at an all-time high after the trio of Group 1 victories by home-trained horses in the Hong Kong International Races 2002. This feat, he said, "was realised by The Club's continued efforts to improve the quality of Hong Kong horses and to develop the HKIR into the Turf World Championships."

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges added that the fine HKIR hat trick was recognized by their prominence in the 2002 International Classifications: Hong Kong Cup winner Precision and Olympic Express achieved the highest ever ratings for Hong Kong-trained four-year-olds on 117, while Hong Kong Sprint winner All Thrills Too was accorded a similar rating, ranking him the third highest older turf sprinter in the world in 2002.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges paid tribute to the skills of John Size, the Champion Trainer, and Champion Jockey Douglas Whyte, and made favourable mention of the progress of the three talented apprentices - Paul Lo, Thomas Yeung and Jacky Tong - who have impressed since making their Hong Kong riding debuts earlier in the season with all three tasting success. He also complimented first-season trainers Dennis Yip and Sean Woods on their excellent performances.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges concluded by saying that Hong Kong's position in international racing had been further strengthened when Mr Wong was elected Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation at the 29th Asian Racing Conference in New Zealand. The Asian Racing Federationong Kong Hong TT now has three seats on the Executive Council of International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

Hong Kong Betting Turnover, Attendance and Duty

Annual's Turnover Total (HK$M)
Total............................ Cashbet Telebet & IS
This season 2002/2003 71,465 37,653 33,812
Last season 2001/2002 78,159 43,172 34,987

TAX (HK$M)
............... 2002/2003 2001/2002
...................* estimate Actual
Betting Duty 9,517 10,503
Lottery Duty 1,250 1,006
Profit Tax 144 226
Total 10,911 11,735

............Annual Attendance
...........2002/2003 2001/2002
On Course
Public 1,307,000 1,395,000
Member 420,000 444,000
Cross-betting 453,000 512,000
Grand Total 2,180,000 2,351,000
Average attendance 27,900 30,100

Appeal of Hong Kong racing remains undiminished

The average attendance per race meeting this season was 27,900, a decline of 7.3 % from the previous season.

Mr Wong said he was very concerned about the negative effects the decrease in betting turnover would bring to Hong Kong society. The betting duties and profits tax paid by The Club constitute about 11 % of the taxes collected by the Inland Revenue Department, and The Club remains Hong Kong's premier contributor to charitable organisations.

Owing to the fall in betting turnover, the betting duty from racing paid to the government this season was HK$ 9,517 million, down HK$ 986 million, or 9.4 % from the previous season.

Mr Wong stated that turnover had slipped for the following three reasons:

- Owing to the outbreak of SARS, betting turnover and racecourse attendance dropped from March to May.

- Although illegal and offshore gambling activities were restrained to some extent after the passing of the Gambling (Amendment) Ordinance last year, there are many signs, such as the continuous police raids on illegal bookmakers, showing that these activities, especially illegal football gambling, are still rampant in Hong Kong. They directly affect betting on horse racing.

- Owing to the continuous economic downturn and high unemployment rate, people are very cautious with their spending, particularly on entertainment and leisure activities.

"Under such circumstances, the racing industry has unavoidably been hit like other industries in Hong Kong. However, the effects on us are comparatively minor because people's interest in horse racing has not diminished, only their expenditure on the sport. Also, The Club's advanced betting technology continues to offer what customer needs," Mr Wong said.

The turnover for the Mark Six lottery was estimated at HK$5 billion for the whole season, an increase of about HK$1 billion, or 24 % compared with last season and the lottery duty paid to the government has increased by HK$240 million to HK$ 1.25 billion. Payment to the Lotteries Fund, which aims to finance social welfare capital projects, has increased by about HK$150 million to HK$750 million.

Mr Wong added that it was undeniable that the decline in betting turnover was adversely affecting The Club's contribution to charity and community projects. However, The Club will continue with its commitment to looking after the needy in the society and supporting the services of local charitable organisations.

Though there is still one week to go before the end of the Club's financial year, donations to charity and community projects for the season amounted to over HK$1 billion according to our initial estimation.

Commenting on racing matters, The Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director of Racing, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, said the international standing of Hong Kong racing was at an all-time high after the trio of Group 1 victories by home-trained horses in the Hong Kong International Races 2002. This feat, he said, "was realised by The Club's continued efforts to improve the quality of Hong Kong horses and to develop the HKIR into the Turf World Championships."

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges added that the fine HKIR hat trick was recognized by their prominence in the 2002 International Classifications: Hong Kong Cup winner Precision and Olympic Express achieved the highest ever ratings for Hong Kong-trained four-year-olds on 117, while Hong Kong Sprint winner All Thrills Too was accorded a similar rating, ranking him the third highest older turf sprinter in the world in 2002.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges paid tribute to the skills of John Size, the Champion Trainer, and Champion Jockey Douglas Whyte, and made favourable mention of the progress of the three talented apprentices - Paul Lo, Thomas Yeung and Jacky Tong - who have impressed since making their Hong Kong riding debuts earlier in the season with all three tasting success. He also complimented first-season trainers Dennis Yip and Sean Woods on their excellent performances.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges concluded by saying that Hong Kong's position in international racing had been further strengthened when Mr Wong was elected Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation at the 29th Asian Racing Conference in New Zealand. The Asian Racing Federationong Kong Hong TT now has three seats on the Executive Council of International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

Hong Kong Betting Turnover, Attendance and Duty

Annual's Turnover Total (HK$M)
Total............................ Cashbet Telebet & IS
This season 2002/2003 71,465 37,653 33,812
Last season 2001/2002 78,159 43,172 34,987

TAX (HK$M)
............... 2002/2003 2001/2002
...................* estimate Actual
Betting Duty 9,517 10,503
Lottery Duty 1,250 1,006
Profit Tax 144 226
Total 10,911 11,735

............Annual Attendance
...........2002/2003 2001/2002
On Course
Public 1,307,000 1,395,000
Member 420,000 444,000
Cross-betting 453,000 512,000
Grand Total 2,180,000 2,351,000
Average attendance 27,900 30,100

For old articles (from 1st March 2000) go to the Newslink Archive

©Racenews 2002
designed and produced by Racenews Internet Services