Rocket Man's HK fan club dress for success at Sha Tin racecourse
To many people, Rocket Man may only be a horse from Singapore, but in the short time it has run the racetracks here, it has won quite a local following.
When the champion sprinter (pictured) trots on to the turf tomorrow at Sha Tin for the International Sprint, die-hard fans will be waiting. And you can spot them wearing the 'I'm a Rocket Man' T-shirt designed by Kristine Nielsen of marketing company We-Enhance.
The Hong Kong chapter of the Rocket Man fan club apparently started when the horse dead-heated for first place last month with Hong Kong's One World in the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Sprint.
'I love underdogs - even when they are horses,' said jazz saxophonist Blaine Whittaker (pictured). 'I had seen Rocket Man win in Singapore - an awesome victory. I could not believe the odds when it ran in Hong Kong and so backed it. It started at 18-to-1 and I got back 9-to-1, but something's better than nothing.'
Whittaker promises to blow his horn - loudly - at Sha Tin tomorrow and cheer the horse home.
Another fan named Karki, the owner of the Guru Indian restaurant in Soho, won a bit more money.
'We get a number of horse racing personalities coming to the restaurant,' he said. 'One night someone started to tell me about Rocket Man and how I should bet on it. I did, and even though it had to share first prize, I won't forget the win, as it was my first-ever bet. I immediately became a Rocket Man fan.'
