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Jerry Chau Chun-lok continued his incredible form and celebrated his 200th Hong Kong win in style with a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday. Fresh from nine winners in February, Chau picked up where he left off to boot home Francis Lui Kin-wai’s pair Chill Partners and Galactic Voyage and the in-form Emblazon. “After I graduated in 2021, everything was more of a challenge and I had to fight for it and at this stage, I’m really happy with 200 winners,” Chau said. “I need to thank the trainers who have...View the full article

Frankie Lor Fu-chuen conjured a third Classic Cup (1,800m) boilover in eight years when Stormy Grove defied his $22.25 quote to claim a powerful victory at Sha Tin on Sunday. In a race tipped to be fought out by $2.5 favourite Little Paradise and Lor’s $3.8 chance Numbers, Stormy Grove backed up his barnstorming 1,600m triumph at his previous start to storm into contention for the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) on March 22. Taken back by Harry Bentley from barrier 12, the Australian...View the full article

Initial purchase price of the slot covers entry for the first 3 years. $125,000 for running 13th or 14th, so along with the money prepaid, that is close to 300K

Karis Teetan has revealed the “very scary” experience of being stuck in the middle of missile strikes in Dubai, with the Hong Kong-based jockey, trainer Chris So Wai-yin and Jockey Club broadcast staff facing an uncertain wait on returning home. Teetan, who was in Dubai to ride So’s galloper Sing Dragon on Saturday night, missed rides at Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting and is likely to miss more upcoming rides after the US-Israel and Iran conflict forced airspace closures in the Middle East. “Very...View the full article

Members of the racing community in Dubai for Super Saturday now face an anxious wait for the airport to reopen in the wake of the American and Israeli attacks on Iran which resulted in the death of Ayatollah Al Khamenei. Racing went ahead at Meydan on a day when the Fairmont hotel on Dubai's Palm Jumeirah caught fire after being hit during an Iranian air attack. Overnight on Saturday, the Dubai International Airport (DXB), which serves some 250,000 passengers daily, also sustained damage which resulted in injuries to four passengers, according to multiple reports.  Thousands of flights had already been cancelled to and from the UAE on Saturday, with Abu Dhabi's airport and Dubai's Burj Al Arab hotel also being hit by falling debris from missile interceptions. Sunday's scheduled race meeting for Jebel Ali has been postponed to March 15. Trainer Jamie Osborne, a regular visitor to Meydan, where he has trained six winners during the current Dubai Racing Carnival, told TDN on Sunday morning, “They've just announced that the airport won't reopen until Monday afternoon at the earliest. I would imagine the reality of it opening then will depend largely on what happens in the next 24 hours. “There appears to be less airborne action today than there was yesterday. It was kind of surreal yesterday. We were racing and you could see missiles being hit out of the air above us.” He said that the horses stabled at Meydan were all unfazed by the activity but added, “There were a few loud bangs quite close to the international stables this morning but the horses are fine. Other than that, you wouldn't necessarily know there was anything going on. “We'll just have to sit it out. Obviously, there's a backlog of people trying to get out of the country, so I don't know quite how long it's going to take us to do it.” Francis Graffard, who had been at Meydan to oversee Rayevka in the G3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint and has the world's top-rated racehorse Calandagan entered for the Dubai Sheema Classic on March 28, had been due to leave Dubai after Saturday's meeting.  He said, “It's pretty quiet here but we don't know when we will be able to leave. I had looked at taking a flight from Oman, but I think I'll just stay in my hotel in Dubai and wait. The Emirates flights have all been cancelled for tomorrow afternoon.” Bloodstock agent and racing advisor Federico Barberini said that a security alert sent to people's phones during the night had caused some alarm but that the situation had quietened on Sunday morning.  “To be perfectly honest, if I didn't read the news, I wouldn't know that there was anything going on today,” he said. “Around 1am we had an alert to our phones saying take shelter, so that scared us, obviously. We spent half an hour by the door and then I went to bed and slept with my jeans on and my passport in my pocket.”   The alert sent to mobile phones in the early hours of Sunday   Dubai's ruler Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum was at Meydan on Saturday to enjoy the 21st victory for his evergreen Rebel's Romance in the G2 Dubai City of Gold and to witness two notable victories for his brother, Sheikh Ahmed. Anthony Stroud, who works closely with the Godolphin operation, said on Sunday of Sheikh Mohammed's presence at the meeting, “That's the sort of man he is really. I mean, when there are problems to be addressed, he is very much at the fore of it all.” He added, “It has been a bit nerve-wracking, and these missiles keep coming over, but apart from that, we're watching CNN or BBC, and it's okay really.” Simon Crisford, who, with his son Ed, trained three winners on the Super Saturday card, including the Group 2 winners Quddwah and Meydaan for Sheikh Ahmed, said, “When Sheikh Mohammed goes racing it always makes it more special and it was a great thrill for us to win for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid as well. I've been connected with him ever since I was at John Dunlop's and we had a horse called Wassl, who won the Irish 2,000 Guineas [in 1983].” He added, “Now we are just waiting for further information. The authorities have been brilliant and they're keeping everyone informed. I don't know when the airport will open but all of the horses seem to be fine and everyone else is fine.” On Saturday, March 28, Dubai is set to stage one of the world's richest racedays, the Dubai World Cup meeting, which is worth a total of $30.5 million. The post ‘I Slept With My Jeans On And My Passport In My Pocket’: Racing Community Marooned in Dubai appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article

Romantic Warrior continued his march towards Triple Crown glory after leaving his rivals standing still in a jaw-dropping performance to win the Group One Gold Cup (2,000m) at Sha Tin on Sunday. It was a 13th Group One success for the Danny Shum Chap-shing-trained global superstar, who produced one of his most devastating displays yet under James McDonald to win by four lengths eased down. Sitting third behind long-time pacesetter Beauty Joy and second-running Ensued, Romantic Warrior was always...View the full article

I'm beginning to wonder if one or two slots might not pay up?

Running out of time 4. NOMINATION AND ACCEPTANCE (b) A Slot Holder must nominate one eligible horse, to complete in the Slot Holder’s Slot in the Race (Slot Holder’s horse) by 10am on the Monday prior to the running of each Edition of the Race (Nomination Closing Time). (d) NZTR will confirm acceptances and announce the final field for each Edition of the Race by 4pm on the Tuesday prior to the running of that Edition of the Race (Field Announcement Time). 5. DECLARATION OF EMERGENCIES (a) NZTR will declare up to four emergency runners for the Race at the Field Announcement Time. (b) The horses to be declared emergency runners will be selected by NZTR or the Race Committee. (c) The declaration of emergency runners for the Race will be a list and not an order of entry in the event of a scratching.

Have to say that's a cracker pic of OP. Don't get that sort of racing photography much anymore.