Hong Kong Jockey Club sponsorship a fillip for SA racing

The announcement that the Hong Kong Jockey Club will sponsor the Gold Cup at Hollywoodbets Greyville at the end of the month is a boost for SA racing. It signals that this country is considered a big player in their World Pools operation.

Over the past decade the sport has battled to attract sponsors. Vodacom didn’t renew their backing of the Durban July and both the Met and Summer Cup had sponsors who quickly threw in the towel when their contracts were up.

Fortunately, things have changed in the past few years with a number of bookmakers — notably Hollywoodbets and World Sports Betting — stepping forward to sponsor big races.

Announcing the Hong Kong Jockey Club as the new title sponsor of the Gold Cup race meeting, Michel Nairac, CEO of Gold Circle, said: “Over the past two years, this race meeting has been classified as a World Pool Event which has generated significant revenue for Gold Circle and this has coincided with HKJC World Pool becoming the sponsors of the grade 1 Champions Cup. We can now confirm HKJC as the title sponsors of the day and we are excited to launch the first HKJC World Pool-sponsored race day worldwide.”

The Gold Cup race meeting represents one of the highest-quality race days in SA. The 10-feature racecard (the last nine races being part of World Pool) boasts the premier race for stayers as the title event along with four grade 1 races, three grade 2 races, and two listed races. Added to this, the race meeting falls on the last weekend of the SA racing calendar, and with R6m in stakes on offer it is often a significant opportunity for horses, trainers and owners to secure their respective status as Equus Champions of the year.

This year the Gold Cup will be run on Sunday July 30 and will be part of a double header World Pool weekend, with racing from Ascot on the Saturday.

• Sandown racegoers were treated to a thrilling finish between Paddington and Emily Upjohn in Saturday’s grade 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes. The first-named prevailed by half a length in the drive to the line.

Paddington gave trainer Aidan O’Brien his seventh win in the race.

He told reporters: “Paddington has been progressing with every run. He's getting more confident, stronger, bigger and more professional.”

Jockey Ryan Moore commented: “He’s got an awful lot of pace and a lot of gears. Class is the thing that exposes everything else and this is a top-class colt.”

Paddington may now head for the Sussex Stakes at Goodwood later this month.