It’s easy to judge a book by its cover and it’s a breeze to cast aspersions on other racing countries based on what Hong Kong has to offer.
Going to a winter provincial meeting in Australia a week after the final meeting at Sha Tin is downright depressing, and an early spring meeting in Sydney with a Group Two on the card isn’t much better.
At least the horses and many of the people are familiar, so it wasn’t entirely miserable.
But the shock was finding a new perspective on American racing after a trip to the United States, where I attended two of their big meets – the Arlington Million at Chicago’s Arlington Park and the Pacific Classic at San Diego’s Del Mar.
I’d always looked down upon American racing in particular. It seemed to be a jurisdiction where the sport was dying, where new fans weren’t being attracted to the sport and which seemed to only make the news when the New York Times carried animal cruelty exposes.
Apart from their top horses like Wise Dan, it was hard to follow any of their name gallopers, because they rarely travelled elsewhere and longevity was rare.
American racing's issues are not insurmountable and there are certainly lessons to be taken
Don’t get me wrong, American racing is still a basket case with some daunting issues. Turnover is plummeting overall, many clubs are in financial strife, their medication and horse welfare policies are woefully inept and stuck in the dark ages, and they are as insular a bunch as you’ll find.
Only in America would the Ryder Cup of horse racing – the Breeders’ Cup – be labelled as the world championships, a joke which ignores the fact that most of the world’s premier racing jurisdictions are barely represented.
And only in America would Irad Ortiz Jnr be described as the hottest jockey in the world with a straight face. Ever heard of Joao Moreira?
But their issues are not insurmountable and there are certainly lessons to be taken.
Like never turn up to Del Mar in a traditional suit, but instead wear a Hawaiian shirt, board shorts and a fedora hat. A Cuban cigar wouldn’t go astray either.
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