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So often on the Internet you look for photographs of favourite horses - and photos of feature races - and can only find the tiniest image. Or worse still a great photograph defaced by a proprietary watermark.
It is a pleasure for me to reproduce these photographs by Neil Murray on RacingWrite in their full glory.
These photographs were also taken at Happy Valley racecourse in Hong Kong last Wednesday.
Click photograph for larger image.
night horseracing at Happy Valley
Race 4 IMPLIED VOLATILITY, trainer Y O Wong, jockey Howard Cheng (Flying Spur-Jeune Girl, Jeune GB)
night horseracing at Happy Valley
Race 2 CLASSA SUPREME, trainer L Ho Jockey Ben So ( Justice Prevails -Madam Fuji by High AceUSA)
night horseracing at Happy Valley
Race 3 JUST CHILL trainer B K Ng, jockey Keith Yeung (General Neddiym-Raise a Spark by Raise a Cup USA)
night horseracing at Happy Valley
BONDI LAD, trainer C S Shum, jockey Eddy Lai (Bel Esprit-Bondi Lass by Geiger Counter USA)
NEIL MURRAY PHOTOGRAPHY
My last post highlighted Sacred Kingdom winning a Group One event at Sha Tin - one of the two racetracks in Hong Kong.
The other racecourse of Hong Kong is Happy Valley.
Neil Murray was there to see the program at Happy Valley on Wednesday night - which as always included many names familiar in Australia with many Australian jockeys and trainers plying their trade outside of their country of birth in this dynamic horseracing centre.
night horseracing at Happy Valley
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: Nugget Warrior on the inside in white. The angle is very deceptive. It looks as if Nugget Warrior has won comfortably but the margin was only a nose).
"There should be a time limit, and then they call it a dead heat. I don't think I've ever had to wait as long to run second" - David Hall, trainer of runner-up Merry Way - as told to the South China Morning Post.
Happy Valley was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong. Before it was built, the area was a swampland, but also the only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. To make way for the racecourse the Hong Kong government prohibited rice growing by villages in the surrounding area. The first race ran in December 1846. Over the years, horse racing became more and more popular among the Chinese residents.
On 26 February 1918, there was a fire and at least 590 people died. This is a fire with one of the highest casualties in Hong Kong history.
The racetrack was rebuilt in 1995 and is now a world-class horseracing facility
The suburb known as Happy is home to six cemeteries. Happy Valley is a common euphemism for a cemetery. The early history of this area is one of a high death rate due to a marshy environment which encouraged mosquitoes - and subsequent deaths due to malaria.
night horseracing at Happy Valley
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: Brett Prebble and Keith Yeung looking up at the screen awaiting the judges' decision.)
night horseracing at Happy Valley
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: the finish of race7, Prebble gets Happy Seven home from Hall's Happy Tumbler).
Don't forget to click all photographs to see the images in greater definition.
Research on the history of Happy Valley from Wikipedia.
While Nicconi was the next day being lauded for his performance to win the Lightning Stakes, the World (equal) Top Rated Sprinter Sacred Kingdom proved his class yet again when he won the Group One Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong.
Sacred Kingdom champion sprinter
Brett Prebble bringing Sacred Kingdom back to scale
Sacred Kingdom with winner's sash
Neil Murray was in Hong Kong to capture these photographs of one of his favourite thoroughbreds - Sacred Kingdom. Don't forget to click photograph to see enlargement.
Although the Lightning Stakes attracted a global campaigner in Cannonball - it would have been the inclusion of Sacred Kingdom into the field that would have added another dimension to the first leg of the Global Sprint Challenge. But it is far too easy for Sacred Kingdom to amass greater prizemoney while contesting easier races in his own backyard.
Surprisingly prizemoney in Australia for sprinters pales in comparison against the high rewards for middle distance and staying events. Considering that Australia breeds sprinters (Sacred Kingdom also being Australian bred) that have few peers it is out of kilter that the prizemoney for sprint winners seems inadequate in comparisons of (home grown) class. The Group One Lightning Stakes - for instance - only carried prizemoney of $500,000, although if history is any guide the winner (Nicconi) is likely to achieve a high status on the international racing stage in 2010.
Many top trainers are now seeding their ranks with highly rated European stayers to plunder the riches of the Melbourne Spring. Our Aqaleem showed the stature and class of European stayers with his brilliant first up win last Saturday at Flemington after 2 1/2 years away from a racetrack after finishing 3rd to Authorized in the 2007 Epsom Derby. Doctor Fremantle is another brilliant stayer now trained in Australia with strong prospects of staying gold when he campaigns. And the Japanese will return again with their brilliant stayers this year after quarantine restrictions have been eased.
The carrot for the stayers is working on the levels of visitation, and importation. But the carrot for the sprinters needs fertilizing and added growth to achieve the same results.
Sacred Kingdom started odds-on favourite in the 1000 metre sprint and ran a quick 55.37 time in winning by three-quarters of a length from stablemate Ultra Fantasy with One World back in third place.
'He's like that - he's a little lazy so I gave him three smacks to keep his mind on his job. He then lengthened good and his ability told in the end. He is the best sprinter in the world, after all." - Brett Prebble, as reported on the HKJC website.
"There are several races he can contest in Singapore, Dubai or even Japan. We shall see how he goes in the Chairman's Sprint Prize before making a decision." - trainer Ricky Yiu, as reported on the HKJC website.
Nicconi has booked a trip to Royal Ascot after producing a scintillating win in today’s $500,000 Group One Coolmore Lightning Stakes (1000m).
Nicconi in 2009
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They are ugly.
Like placing a band-aid over the bridge of Charlize Theron’s nose, they do detract from the overall natural beauty of the subject
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Although the recently released World Thoroughbred Rankings for 2009 placed Zenyatta equal 4th on 128 - one pound ahead of Rachel Alexandra who was 6th on 127 - the Eclipse Award voting reversed the decision with Rachel Alexandra comfortably winning the Horse of the Year Award.
Rachel Alexandra - Horse of the Year
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It has taken the Tiger Hill (IRE) - Mistress Lili 3 year old Filly Flotercher eight starts to break her Maiden status - but on Sunday at Cranbourne she did win over 2025 metres on a dead rated track - and win in great style with a 7 length margin to the 2nd placed Drums Of War.
Flotercher with Craig Williams aboard
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The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities has released the World Thoroughbred Rankings for the year 2009.
Sea The Stars dominates with a rating - and margin over his fellow champion horses - that places him among the all-time superstars of racing. Goldikova, Zenyatta, and Youmzain (for another placing in the Arc) have made the premier list once again. And this ranking also sheds further light (or fuel) into the controversy as to the best horse in the US with Zenyatta just shading Rachel Alexandra by one pound
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Jeff Taylor won the Eclipse Award for Photography in 2009. It is a very dramatic photograph of a fall in a minor race meeting at the Blue Ridge Point To Point races in Clark County Virginia, and was first published in the Winchester Star on March the 9th, 2009.
Not the winning Eclipse Award photograph - but a runner-up by Adam Coglianese
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Jockey Craig Williams leaves as little to chance as possible.
Craig Williams inspecting the track at Moonee Valley
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Comment by Leonard Marlborough
on Melbourne Cup nominations: early thoughts
Racing Write
I agree with your views on Unsung Heroine. She was a very good staying juvenile in England - her St Leger effort behind Conduit was very good. A second to Conduit looks to be an exceptional form line. Be very interested to see her Australian debut.
Vigor has the advantage of being adaptable and able to get up on the speed. Would need to take another step up this campaign to beat the very best though - but that may not be beyond him (his current speedfigures not quite at Group One level).
Changingoftheguard (racing tomorrow in UK) is another likely visitor of great interest.
Speed Gifted looked sensational with his Winter win here - but just average speedfigures. But he can only improve over ground (and what a brilliant turn of foot!).
Shocking could be anything this next campaign.
Can’t discount Master O’Reilly either as he has had superior staying speedfigures for the past two years now.
and...
Hopefully Luca Cumani will improve his recent Italian acquisition, Basaltico, and bring him to Melbourne. The Melbourne Spring would not be the same without the ‘Cumani’s’ in attendance.