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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...

Alan Aitken
Oct 25, 20183 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...

Alan Aitken
Oct 24, 20184 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...

Alan Aitken
Oct 18, 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...

Alan Aitken
Oct 11, 20183 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...

Alan Aitken
Oct 2, 20185 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...

Alan Aitken
Sep 27, 20183 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...

Alan Aitken
Sep 11, 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...

Alan Aitken
Sep 4, 20184 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...

Alan Aitken
Aug 28, 20183 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...

Alan Aitken
Jul 18, 20184 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...

Alan Aitken
Jul 18, 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...

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...

Alan Aitken
Jul 17, 20183 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...

Alan Aitken
Jul 17, 20185 min read


Zac Purton will be without a rival in the new Hong Kong season - but it's good to be the king
The standout contest of the season has been the jockeys’ title that, barring a last-day miracle, will present Zac Purton with a second,...

Alan Aitken
Jul 13, 20184 min read


Increases for Longines Internationals in December amongst across-the-board stakes rises for the next
The Hong Kong Jockey Club has topped up the Longines International events in December to a total of $HK 93 million after prizemoney...

Alan Aitken
Jul 6, 20182 min read


Punters who backed Harry Angel would have got refunds in Hong Kong says chief stipe
Top British sprinter Harry Angel’s controversial start in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot would “would certainly have made him...

Alan Aitken
Jun 26, 20182 min read


Billions in prospect as Hong Kong Jockey Club plays global host to Royal Ascot tote betting in 2019
Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, is predicting a commingled tote turnover of more than $HK 1 billion...

Alan Aitken
Jun 25, 20184 min read


Juniors make a claim - they really do hold their own with the riding champions
Jack Wong recently made the graduation from apprentice to senior rider with his 70th win and now the focus of punters, owners and...

Alan Aitken
Jun 21, 20184 min read


Is the Mauritian Magician the biggest winner from Hong Kong jockeys' room changes next season?
Joao Moreira's sudden change of base to Japan next season will deliver a seismic shift to the topography of the Hong Kong jockey...

Alan Aitken
Jun 13, 20184 min read
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