Lightning-fast tracks are a recipe for records and ruin

The Sha Tin and Happy Valley tracks have been 'on fire' in recent weeks, with class and course records falling like nine pins but, in the midst of the prevailing fast-times euphoria, it might be appropriate to ask: is this a good thing?

If some of the tender-footed, jarred-up horses that have hobbled home after these meetings were given a chance to put an opinion on record, the answer would almost certainly be an emphatic 'no'. On Sunday at Sha Tin, the trend went to the extreme when Flaming Lamborgini shattered the course record for 1,400m, not by a small fraction, as usually happens, but by six-tenths of a second.

So Planet Ruler and Gem Of India have now been obliterated from the record books and it is also notable that Class Four winner Fingers Crossed was only seven-tenths of a second in arrears of those two former Premier-grade record-holders, despite racing four classes below them.

Track managers explained the quick times are a phenomenon of this time of year, when the tracks have been compacted by the heavy rains of the typhoon season. This, combined with the natural properties of the prevailing rye grass and the warm mid-autumn conditions, leads to a firm surface and consequently fast times. There does, however, seem to be an element among the tracks team that thinks record times is something the public wants, as part of the theatre of the day.

And perhaps they also believe the quick times show they are doing a good job by presenting the course in such 'pristine' order. However, as a world-class racing jurisdiction, one of our first concerns should be for the welfare of the thoroughbred and hard, lightning-fast tracks are definitely not in the racehorse's best interest.

In May, after the Champions Mile was run on a good-to-firm track, the attrition list looked like Custer's Last Stand, with sore and lame horses everywhere.

The reason, simply, was that the track was just too hard and that is not good advertising for our latest International Group One race.