The departures of Clinton P. Pitts Jnr and Martyn Stewart from positions of real authority in Hong Kong racing starkly shows how the industry here is being systematically reshaped.
The appointment of John Schreck as the new chief stipendiary steward and the likely appointment of the internationally known Ciaran Kennelly as senior handicapper, to respectively replace Pitts and Stewart, underline the determination for meaningful change.
The Racing Department is being reshaped by director of racing, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, whose own appointment a year ago was a signal for the most important shift of power in Hong Kong racing in decades.
Quite obviously, Engelbrecht-Bresges has shown himself to be very much the right man at the right time.
Much has been made about his bonhomie with the local media, in contrast to his predecessor, Philip Johnston, but that is not what counts. Journalists who believe that it does decidedly overvalue their contributions to the sport here.
Engelbrecht-Bresges is here to take Hong Kong racing into the 21st century and he will get the job done. And you don't get things done in any major sport or venture by being soft.
