Alan Aitken
Wrong time, wrong race in Sweynesse flop
Horses lose. That's the lesson that we are taught again and again over the years as racing fans and punters. (Almost) all horses lose....
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Alan Aitken
- Sep 6
- 4 min
It's all "Fat Zac", the apex predator
We have to go back to the peak Douglas Whyte years for the level of anticipation that hovers around this season Hong Kong jockeys'...
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Alan Aitken
- Sep 4
- 5 min
It's a new season but Size still fits the bill
It was an unusual season for John Size in 2022-23 but he finally cracked George Moore's all-time record for title wins, after being...
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Alan Aitken
- May 2
- 5 min
How enticing is The Everest for Lucky Sweynesse?
It's in the nature of having the world's top rated sprinting horse these days that thoughts will immediately turn to The Everest at...
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Alan Aitken
- Nov 9, 2022
- 3 min
Hold off on that victory lap, Beautyverse fans
When Tony Cruz-trained Beautyverse won his Hong Kong debut on Sunday in Class 2, there were already commentators and fans ready to make...
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Alan Aitken
- Oct 11, 2022
- 3 min
No room for error in Zac's farewell quest
A career-best day with 7 wins at Sha Tin on Sunday, left Zac Purton one finger short of the eight victories he needed to equal Joao...
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Alan Aitken
- Sep 4, 2022
- 8 min
Incoming trainers will hold the early spotlight
Naturally, looking for the winner of the championship in season 2022-23 will be the primary narrative about Hong Kong trainers but that...
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Alan Aitken
- Sep 2, 2022
- 8 min
How much longer for the Zac & Jo Show?
Any look ahead to the jockeys’ championship in Hong Kong has to focus on the seesawing duel of the Zac Purton and Joao Moreira Show - but...
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Alan Aitken
- Jul 25, 2022
- 4 min
Bright look ahead for rising HK stars
As the southern hemisphere racing year ticks over next week on August 1, we need sunglasses with such a bright outlook for Hong Kong's up...
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Alan Aitken
- Jul 13, 2022
- 7 min
Blake Shinn's Hong Kong journey takes a pit stop
The evening after Blake Shinn won the Champions & Chater Cup on Russian Emperor to become the Hong Kong season’s leading Group One...
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Alan Aitken
- Aug 30, 2021
- 6 min
Gaming the system - a reason for celebration or elimination?
When Caspar Fownes scored his fourth Hong Kong trainers championship win in season 2020-21, he showed once again that he is not just a...
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Alan Aitken
- Nov 19, 2020
- 6 min
Should the Longines IJC be left to randomness?
Kudos for the Hong Kong Jockey Club being able to pull together an attractive LONGINES International Jockeys Championship (IJC) at Happy...
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Alan Aitken
- Aug 31, 2020
- 9 min
The boys are back in town - will the Magic Man turn the tables?
Don't let the friendly faces on the ground fool you - on horseback, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira are the fiercest of rivals and Hong Kong...
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Alan Aitken
- Aug 28, 2020
- 5 min
What to expect from the trainer who's expected?
There might be an extra few ounces on the face, the hat is different and so is the grass cover on the real estate beneath it, but this...
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Alan Aitken
- May 10, 2020
- 3 min
Lost in the Valley - has the Magic Man's championship slipped away?
There "should" be a fairly simple equation to determining the Hong Kong jockey championship in any season - whoever has the best figures...
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Alan Aitken
- Mar 24, 2020
- 5 min
Gangnant! Winners aplenty in a favourite's Derby
The 2020 HK Derby is done and what we are left to take away from a thrilling renewal is the true arrival of Vincent Ho, a win for the...
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Alan Aitken
- Mar 18, 2020
- 4 min
Rating the HK Derby - it isn't just about the maths
The highest-rated Hong Kong Derby winner since the turn of the century was Lucky Owners (pictured), with a 129 figure from the...
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Alan Aitken
- Dec 10, 2019
- 6 min
Too easy, too overrated? Longines HKIR is done and dusted for another year
After the invitation to Almond Eye had been made, accepted and her presence expected, the absence of arguably the world's current best...
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Alan Aitken
- Nov 27, 2019
- 4 min
Quarantine issues over, let's work on competition
As welcome as Australian horses, like In Her Time (right), are for the Hong Kong International Races next month, it is arguably not a big...
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Alan Aitken
- Nov 2, 2019
- 5 min
The winter looks bright - it's the season of Size
There are not many racing jurisdictions in the world where the trainer running 14th after two months of a 10-month season remains a firm...
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