Alan Aitken
Could the locals come in from the cold in the Vase to sweep Longines HKIR?
Hong Kong’s balmy winter weather is taking a wicked turn for the worse this weekend, with a sharp temperature drop and even the...
top of page
Search
Alan Aitken
Dec 6, 20183 min read
Why the International Jockeys' Championship is a minefield
It might seem an odd thing to write about after the event is over, but the IJC every year is a remarkable contest and a remarkable...
19 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Nov 21, 20184 min read
Beware the Jockey Club day results when you line them up on December 9
The rubber hits the road for the Longines Hong Kong International Races today when the invited fields with foreign-based runners are...
16 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Nov 15, 20184 min read
Saddling half the field not all beer and skittles says Size (but it's a nice problem to have)
It's the problem every trainer wants to have but John Size says there is a downside to turning up to Group races with half the field....
5 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Nov 13, 20186 min read
How close can Joao & Zac get to a rematch in 2018-19?
Last season, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira staged one of the great championship stoushes of all time with just two separating the riders at...
23 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Nov 8, 20183 min read
Freedman farewell leaves the ball in the Jockey Club's court for the next expat
Michael Freedman's final day as a Hong Kong-based trainer on Saturday, ironically, holds at least the pre-race the promise of being one...
89 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Oct 25, 20183 min read
Numbers down but quality rises in 2018 Longines HKIR entries
The path to the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) on December 9 is open with the release of the first entries for the four...
23 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Oct 24, 20184 min read
The tracks are about to get a whole lot bumpier for the Poon Train
Matthew Poon may well graduate from his apprenticeship with a 70th Hong Kong tonight at Happy, but what lies immediately ahead for him...
30 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Oct 18, 20183 min read
Beware the knee jerk reaction to Sunday's G2 wins - are they the HKIR heroes?
If history teaches us anything about Sunday's two Group Two rehearsals at Sha Tin for the international day showstopper, it's that they...
12 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Oct 11, 20183 min read
Take me back, baby - the Magic Man will return to Hong Kong
Some weeks ago, I put a hypothetical to a senior Hong Kong Jockey Club official - if Joao Moreira fails to pass his test in Japan to ride...
11 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Oct 2, 20185 min read
Moreira's absence a loss for Hong Kong - but not through the betting windows
When Hong Kong's betting turnover lagged in the first few meetings of the season, the idea was murmured that the loss of Joao Moreira to...
2 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Sep 27, 20183 min read
Stable transfers looking an even better bet than usual with a new trainer in town
Freshman trainer Jimmy Ting couldn't have made a much better start to his career than he has in the first four meetings, and this season...
56 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Sep 11, 20184 min read
Sometimes, it turns out that you're just holding the map upside down
The old 'orange box theory' was alive and well at Sha Tin on Sunday when the most obvious tactics in the seventh race turned a slowly-run...
6 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Sep 4, 20184 min read
Have absent riders left anything for Purton - or only his rivals?
Zac Purton made an interesting point last week when he said the new landscape on the Hong Kong jockey scene is an opportunity for others...
5 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Aug 28, 20183 min read
Shum and Cruz looking to show the way on day one at Sha Tin again
The 2018-19 Hong Kong racing season kicks off on Sunday at Sha Tin with all the questions still to be answered on the track but punters...
19 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Jul 18, 20184 min read
Hong Kong horses punched above their weight again in 2017-18 but there's room for a champion - w
It was kind of a weird statistic to wheel out post-season that Hong Kong’s racehorses won all but one of the international Group Ones for...
5 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Jul 18, 20183 min read
Commingling on the charge as Jockey Club betting posts more records
Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (centre) specified “on the pure figures” at one point when he subdivided his...
4 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Jul 17, 20183 min read
Hurdles in the past and future looks bright for $4 billion Conghua Training Centre
After $4 billion spent and almost a decade of planning and construction strewn with obstacles which had to be cleared, the Hong Kong...
37 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Jul 17, 20183 min read
One Size fits all in the Hong Kong trainers' championship despite the new Lor in town
John Size’s career at Sha Tin began with three straight training championships and he was there again in 2017-18 as he took his tenth...
29 views0 comments
Alan Aitken
Jul 17, 20185 min read
Heavyweight title bout a stunning denouement to the Year Of Jockeys in Hong Kong
The sensational finish to the final race of the 2017-18 Hong Kong season was an appropriate punctuation mark for a year dominated by the...
12 views0 comments
bottom of page