When Vincent Ho entered the Sha Tin parade ring aboard Golden Sixty for the champion’s retirement ceremony on Sunday to the sound of rapturous cheers and applause, he pointed at the horse that has won more prize money than any racehorse in history.
“It was his ceremony, not mine, I’m not retiring,” Ho later told Idol Horse. “I just wanted to make sure that everybody knows that he is the star, not us, I needed to point that out.”
Ho has visited Golden Sixty nearly every day he has been in Hong Kong for the last five years, so when the horse leaves Francis Lui’s stable for the final time on October 5, he said it would hit hard.
“He has been a family member, like a dog – but he is much bigger,” Ho said, adding that Golden Sixty’s propensity to playfully bite and interact had made their bond even stronger. “There is a lot of trust built there. We built that up over the years and I think that was important.”
“As a jockey, you just don’t know how often you are going to come across a horse like that, so for me at least I did my best to spend time with him and learn as much as I can from him: ride him and do whatever I can to help. Because I did all I could and my best, I have absolutely no regrets today at his retirement ceremony.”
“I wish it wasn’t raining, we could have had a better ceremony, but I was glad some fans came to see him in this weather.”
Indeed, the wet weather kept some fans away but those who braved the conditions made up for it with heartfelt support that was a sign that Hong Kong racing fandom has come a long way.
Past retirement ceremonies for former greats like Ambitious Dragon, Able Friend, Aerovelocity and Beauty Generation took place in front of mostly disinterested fans that were famous for yelling out numbers, not horse names, when they were cheering home winners.
The fans that gather around the parade ring have been notorious for their jeering over the years as well. Sunday’s showing wasn’t quite to the level of Japanese fans, who stay behind after the last in their tens of thousands to farewell greats, but Ho – who signed dozens of autographs after the ceremony – said it was a step in the right direction.
“I think the mentality of the fans here is very different to Japan and we still need to educate them, I think, but today was much better,’ Ho said.
Perhaps the first sign on the day that Hong Kong racing has changed was the orderly way fans queued for the free Golden Sixty merchandise. A 100-metre-plus queue had formed by race one and there was a two hour wait just to register your name so you could buy a ‘plushie’ at a later date.
In April 2005 a giveaway to honour the great Silent Witness turned ugly when demand for a free souvenir cap far outstripped supply and, according to a Jockey Club security report at the time, fans “stormed the distribution counter” in search of a cap and “Some were seen standing on boxes of caps, throwing them towards the crowd.”
Eighteen people were injured in the stampede and one fan suffered a broken collar bone. This crowd was far more calm.
Ten minutes before the presentation ceremony there was another sign of another serious shift in Hong Kong racing, when female apprentice Britney Wong rode her first winner – on a favourite no less.
The last female apprentice to ride in Hong Kong was Kei “KK” Chiong, who retired in early 2018, was at the racecourse yesterday. She has been part of the Golden Sixty journey through her connection with trainer Francis Lui and has often been seated with owner Stanley Chan throughout the horse’s amazing career.
Chan hopes the other shift he can help make is an increased awareness of horse aftercare. Golden Sixty will retire to Northern Horse Park in Japan so that he can be visited by fans.
“Of course it is important for me that I will go and see him every couple of months, part of the decision is that Japan is very close to Hong Kong,” Chan said. “But I want fans to see him too and know that even though he has retired, he is still being cared for.”
