Hong Kong the model for Russia

With Putin's approval, the sport of kings is being revived in the former communist state

We are in a spacious office overlooking the Moscow hippodrome, the home of Russian racing, just over 2km from the city's historical and cultural heart.

More sleeping than lifeless are the racecourse buildings that put the grand back into grandstand, proudly dating back to 1834, when Tsar Nikolai I granted several square kilometres of lush land for the exclusive pleasures of horse riding and racing.

Russians will tell you, their country has a lengthy history with horse racing. Strong, moustachioed Vladimir Zhukovskiy is the director of the Central Moscow Hippodrome (CMH), the livewire former cavalry colonel charged with dragging that history into the present.

'That was a very important call,' he beams, putting down the phone. 'I have approval to go ahead and reconstruct the racecourse. I think we need to keep the basic architecture of this magnificent stand, but it needs modernisation inside to make it more pleasant for people to come to the races. Then we can get to work on the track itself.'

The call is the victory line from the third President's Cup just days before, a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin was again pleased with the day to which he puts his name.

The Priz Presidenta Rossiski Federatsi had a crowd of 12,000, carried a modest Group One purse of HK$1.75 million and punters wagered just HK$1.3 million on the day's entire five-race card - not even an opening win pool for any race in Hong Kong. In 2006, it probably meant little to anyone in racing outside of Russia, but as a symbol of support at the highest levels of the nation's political and economic clout, the race is Dubai, the Arc and the Breeders' Cup rolled together and tied with a bow.