Stridyl Ambassador Jockey Rachel King has touched down in Happy Valley.
Rachel King has been selected to represent Australia in Hong Kong tonight in the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship. Four pinnacle races determine the championship throughout tonight’s race meeting.
In the four-race face-off, points matter. Win and get twelve, second place grabs six, and third takes four. The overall champ? The jockey with the highest total points after all races.
It is the epitome of global jockey challenges. It offers both prestige and substantial rewards. With four races totalling HK$7.5 million, plus a bonus pool of HK$1 million, the winner takes home HK$600,000, while second and third places earn HK$250,000 and HK$150,000.
The experience
Rachel has shared her experience below:
The Travel
“I departed Sydney on Sunday straight after Hawkesbury races. It was a night-time flight which meant I could be well rested by the time we landed early in the morning. I think I may have been asleep even before we took off. We were greeted at the airport and driven straight to our hotel, The Grand Hyatt, Hong Kong.
The track facilities are certainly different to what we are used to in Sydney. The way they have the track set up with everything in-house is cool. We were shown around the jockey’s rooms at Happy Valley, I would say they are standard and the same as what we are used to. I can’t wait to see more of the track at the races this evening.
Our hotel is great, we are only ten minutes from Happy Valley. Very easy to get around, good restaurants, I would recommend staying there.
Settling In
On the first day, I was really lucky to sit next to Zac Purton. He gave me some great pointers about the track and how to navigate the corners. That put me at ease and his insight was invaluable riding at a meeting as prestigious as this.
The rides for the jockey challenge are done on a draw, whilst trying to make it as fair as possible as well as having to navigate weights. Being a lightweight jockey I am on the lighter-weight horses. But they have tried to spread them as evenly as possible so everyone has a fair chance. I suppose we will find out tonight and hopefully, the draw is in my favour.
My rides for tonight have all looked to be running well with consistent performances. All horses are trained by good trainers and all have good gates. This will definitely help around the tight turning track of Happy Valley.
The Asain climate is obviously different. The temperature doesn’t change a lot, it’s similar each day from morning to mid-day. It’s not as hot as Australia at the moment and I think it’s ideal for racing. It’s a nice low to mid-20s and should prove comfortable for everyone.
Facilities
This morning I was able to witness something quite innovative at Sha Tin Racecourse. They have an on-course education area that they use for trackwork riders and apprentice jockeys. They have a barn of retired horses where people can learn to ride track work and eventually progress to races. It’s almost a continuous racing school that’s situated on the track. It looked to be a great facility that would be vital in Australia”
The Rides
Race 4: 11.10pm AEST – Oversubscribed Trainer: David Hall
Race 5: 11.40pm AEST – To Infinity Trainer: Jamie Richards
Race 7: 12.40pm AEST – Star Contact Trainer: David A. Hayes
Race 8: 1.10am AEST – Toronado Phantom Trainer: John Size
