Was it just me and my friends, or did other horse-racing enthusiasts who attended the running of the Hong Kong Derby on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse walk away thinking that the whole day was all a bit of a yawn? Yes, the best horse won the Derby and we had the usual spectacle of world-class jockey Frankie Dettori leaping off his horse after each of his two wins. However, what more was there for spectators? And why did we have such PR blunders as having the farewell ceremonies for multi-champion jockey Basil Marcus held after the running of the last race when people were already leaving? Marcus, a gentleman and a great ambassador for Hong Kong and the sport, deserved more. Just like those who are promoting tourism in the SAR, the Hong Kong Jockey Club needs to remove the blinkers. It should look at the headway being made by the relatively new Singapore Turf Club and remind itself that this is 2002. As the band U2 sings, 'We're stuck in a moment'. We seem to be stuck in the same old groove. The Hong Kong Derby, and local horse-racing meetings in general, have become very drab affairs. Compare them to the lead-up and excitement attached to the running of the Melbourne Cup. One can only hope that with the prestigious International Races to be held later in the year, and with the eyes of the racing world on Hong Kong (and it is a big world), the Jockey Club will start making plans now. It should try to make this event bigger, better, more exciting and more glamorous than ever before. Horse racing and Hong Kong go hand-in-hand. With the 'marketing' of Hong Kong having hit a brick wall, let's just hope that our Jockey Club looks forward and creates something that we can be proud of to call our own, and which can be successfully marketed around the world. HANS EBERT Happy Valley
