For an idea symptomatic of what was described at the time as an unprecedented level of co-operation between the Hong Kong and Macau racing jurisdictions, the interport events must now have come full circle.
How else could anyone describe the programming of Sunday's race at Taipa?
Of all the days in the year available, someone - presumably from the Macau Jockey Club - chose the day before a Hong Kong holiday meeting for this year's Macau Hong Kong Trophy in a move that smelt strongly of a desire to kill off the event.
It was certainly guaranteed to minimise any press coverage.
The interport races don't seem to inspire a huge amount of excitement from officials on this side of the Pearl River delta, and only ever held some sort of novelty value. But, since the benefits of cross-jurisdictional competition were Macau's anyway, we might have expected a healthier attitude from the Taipa side.
One of the positives for Macau was that, by competing with Hong Kong horses which had a recognised international standard, horses from Macau could also be measured for international ratings. That in turn opened the way to international competition in places like Dubai, where Macau horses have performed well.
Perhaps these interport races have passed their use-by date, or perhaps the lack of enthusiasm even from the beneficiary is now symptomatic of Macau racing's general decline.