A decade ago, racing authorities in Hong Kong accepted the lack of real top end quality horses racing here comfortable in the knowledge that the actual business end of the place was working better than brilliantly as turnover soared.
As the years have rolled by, that quality deficiency disappeared, with legitimate high-class performers in a number of different categories - but the bottom line went missing too.
As far as the improvement of the horses is concerned, take a bow. The results at the international events are enough to prove that Hong Kong horses are competitive at the top.
But that job is done and where it currently stands probably cannot be improved upon. It might even be argued as an area of diminishing returns as more owners go out to buy the expensive performed horses the Jockey Club has encouraged them to buy.
If you are an owner spending big dollars on a horse with hopes of getting a Derby or even a lesser Group race, your opportunities grow smaller with every other owner who thinks the same way.
There are 14 Group Ones a year - and at the moment Silent Witness has his hoof on at least four of them - plus another 11 lesser Group events. With the large numbers of new Private Purchases coming in, they can't all even run a place in one let alone be winners.
