Alexis Badel bids to say au revoir with farewell winner

When a jockey asks to stretch his winter stay in Hong Kong by one meeting it is reasonable to assume he thinks there is a winner in the offing.

Alexis Badel has made the most of his latest four-month contract – riding 25 winners who have collected over £3 million in prize-money – and the stylish Frenchman can make the most of his final day at Sha Tin this Sunday on Super Wealthy in the finale (9.00).

However, Douglas Whyte's gelding faces several bang-in-form rivals on his Class 2 debut. Assimilate had two good subsequent winners behind when scoring over course and distance, while Glorious Spectrum looked very promising last summer and the free-wheeling Cordyceps can go well at a decent price.

However, Super Wealthy has created a strong impression in winning twice from three starts, most recently when coming home powerfully to beat the useful Ballistic King in style.

An 8lb rise followed but the runner-up has franked the form by running the promising Wellington close. Add in the fact that Super Wealthy is tailor-made for this step up in trip and Badel's decision to stay un jour de plus could pay off handsomely.

Piccone signs off in style

Hong Kong's second French rider Tony Piccone has already headed home and did so having laid firm foundations for a second visit.

'Tony Who' was a common retort when it was announced that Piccone was arriving on a two-month contract, but he got off to a flier with a big win on his first day and took his total to eight when Sunny Power battled home at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

Hong Kong jockey Tony PicconeCredit: Hkjc

"I'm very happy," said the 32-year-old after a success that nudged his Hong Kong prize-money total close to the £1m mark. "I've really enjoyed Hong Kong and hopefully I can come back again soon."

World pool in motion again for key Dubai dates

One of the more notable ventures in global wagering will take two more significant steps forward in March when the HKJC hosts the World Pool for Super Saturday and Dubai World Cup night at Meydan.

Last year's inaugural World Pool at Royal Ascot proved a big success – with total Tote turnover up 60 per cent – and with no domestic betting in Dubai, the Hong Kong pool will act as hub with added input from betting partners in Canada, Australia, Europe, Singapore and the USA.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chief executive of the Hong Kong Jockey ClubCredit: Ian Gavan

"The first global pool at Royal Ascot enabled people around the world to make use of huge liquidity," said HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "Commingling provides our sport with a huge opportunity to harvest the full potential of global racing and we are delighted to announce these two fixtures as the next destinations on the growing World Pool rota."

Shop openings signal small step forward

Time will tell whether the concern about Cheltenham proves justified but Coronavirus continues to play havoc with Asian racing, with Korea cancelling several meetings and Japan following Hong Kong in imposing severe attendance restrictions.

Sunday's Sha Tin fixture will be the latest Hong Kong meeting to take place with just owners, trainers and officials in attendance but the HKJC have taken one small positive step by deciding to re-open a selection of the city's 101 betting shops on a limited basis next week.

Punters won't be able to bet on racing or football at the 17 shops that will open on Monday and Thursday but they will be able to redeem winning tickets and deposit money into their online betting accounts as racing strives for a return to normality.

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