'I hope, in the return race, the Macau horses will give us 17 pounds,' jokes Arculli
The inaugural Hong Kong-Macau Trophy breathed new life into racing at Sha Tin yesterday with both Hong Kong citizens and hundreds of visiting racegoers jointly welcoming the triumph of Crown's Gift, Macau's first winner on this side of the Pearl River Delta.
The cheers from the public for the Joe Lau-trained Crown's Gift would have done justice to an international day winner and saw all Macau racing folk walking appreciably taller in the wake of the first of the goodwill races with Hong Kong.
It also represented a triumphant return to Sha Tin for British jockey Brett Doyle, who rode here previously under a retainer from Andy Leung Ting-wah.
Macau Jockey Club chairman Stanley Ho Hung-sun was at his diplomatic best and most gracious in victory.
'I am naturally delighted that a Macau horse has won and I hope the return race in Macau can be won by a Hong Kong-trained horse,' he said.