Macau to make racing history

The logistics of sending race horses from the Macau Racing Club to contest races in the Middle East has been occupying the thoughts of the club's Managing Director Lord John Fitzgerald, for a couple of years.

Now the man who has sparked off a racing renaissance of sorts in the sport-crazy Fast Eastern island is all set to see his dream come true when two horses representing the Macau Racing Club compete at Nad Al Sheba this Thursday.

This historic overseas debut for horses based in Macau, ties up with an even bolder bid to qualify for the $2 million Golden Saheen Sprint, sponsored by Gulf News, on Dubai World Cup night.

The two horses, Active Bobo and Gold World Winner, arrived in Dubai earlier this month and have reportedly settled in well at the International Quarantine Centre.

"They're very nice horses, perhaps the best we have in Macau," said Mark Thompson, the Australian-born assistant trainer who has been supervising their gallops in Dubai. "But it's hard to say just how good they are on an international scale. We'll probably come to know on Thursday.

"Both the horses have certainly earned their trip to Dubai and we're confident they won't let us down," he added.

Active Bobo, a six-year-old by Diesis, has won 17 races in Macau, while the American-bred Gold World Winner is the winner of 11 races and is the current holder of the prestigious Horse of the Season title.

Gold World Winner is trained by Peter Lyshan, a well-known Irish jockey turned trainer, while Active Bobo will run under the licence of trainer W.T. Tang.

"Sending horses overseas is a big thing for the owners and just about everybody concerned with racing in Macau," said Thompson. "This is only the beginning of a long-term plan that encompasses sending horses to race in Hong Kong, Singapore and other major racing destinations."

Randall Wills, the Indian-born work-rider who is currently based in Macau, has been riding out Gold World Winner at the Nad Al Sheba gallops. "He's acclimatised well and we've been gradually picking up the work," said Wills. "He likes it out here. The facilities are fantastic.

"Gold World Winner won his last start about three months ago and he's been well rested since. He'll run a big race on Thursday.

"Our only concern is how he handles the straight course here," he said. "Back home in Macua, a horse has to cope with two bends even in a short sprint. Here he'll only be going straight. Hopefully that shouldn't be a big problem."

Both Wills and Thompson made special note of the precious groundwork put in by Lord John Fitzgerald to clear the way for Macau horses to race abroad.

"We couldn't have done it without him," said Thompson. "Together with Mary May, the Assistant Director of the Macau Racing Club, they have given racing a whole new identity, a new impetus, a new direction."

Emirates Racing Association Cheif Les Benton welcomed the Macau team and said it 'augured well for the future.' Racing enthusiasts will remember Fitzgerald as the ERA's Chief Executive Officer during UAE racing's formative years in the early nineties.