Reunion won a good race at Turffontein on Saturday, worthy of a speed figure of 106. He was followed in two lengths back by Second Base (s/s 103) from whom he was receiving 6 kg’s. The victor, (trained by Paul Peter) is by Flower Alley out of the fabulous grey race mare, Ilha Bela.
The gelding has thrown in a few off-key races from time to time but can also gallop purposefully when in the right frame of mind and has looked especially strong at both his winning starts this year.
Consider this provocative quote sourced off the Racingpost.com website, by famed Sports promoter, Barry Hearn who wants to see more aggressive marketing from racing.
“The sport needs more personalities, and they can have four legs or two. In the past it’s one thing racing has never done, it’s never stood up and shouted about itself and said, ‘look at us, we’re interesting, we’re exciting, we’re flamboyant.’
Hong Kong champion miler, Golden Sixty, would qualify as a four- legged “personality” with a huge following in the Far East, and ex SA jockey, Dougie Whyte was also hero worshipped during his career as top jock in the gambling- mad, colony. Now plying his trade there as a trainer, Whyte’s Russian Emperor (ex-Aidan O Brien) ran a huge number of 118 to win the Hong Kong Gold Cup on Sunday as odds-on favourite, Golden Sixty got bogged down on the rain sodden Sha Tin track.
Whyte made these sage comments afterwards, “I think everybody realizes that these European horses, once they have a full season or a full season and a half, they find their straps,” said Whyte.
“He [Golden Sixty] is a beautifully balanced horse with a lovely, fluid action so he might not have got through this ground – I’ve ridden here for 22-23 years as a jockey and when this light rain is about it’s when you notice the true difference in the track.
“When there’s that heavy rain, it runs right through the track and drains. This light rain makes a difference and Russian Emperor was there to lap it up.”
Indeed, the track variant was the slowest encountered in the two years that I’ve been doing speed figures in Hong Kong, despite the going being officially cited merely as yielding. Such are the subtleties that influence race results!