As soon as-in-a-Lifetime Glory on the BMW Hong Kong Derby, the Metropolis’s Most Prestigious Horse Race
Tommy Ching, owner of last year’s Derby champion Voyage Bubble, talks about his superstar horse’s triumphs and racing future.
Ask any owner, trainer or jockey and they’ll all tell you one of the city’s most prestigious races is the BMW Hong Kong Derby. The final leg of the three-race Four-Year-Old Classic Series, the Derby is a once-in-a-lifetime entry for any racehorse – and winning it is a glory that follows a horse owner for a lifetime.
It’s an honour that Tommy Ching, owner of last year’s champion Voyage Bubble, still remembers vividly. “When we won, it felt like a dream,” he recalls, chuckling softly. “We never expected it – and if you look at our faces in the photos, we look quite expressionless. I don’t think the enormity of our victory had sunk in yet.”
Ching began watching racing with his horse-owning father, and is now the manager of the Sunshine and Moonlight Syndicate that owns his family’s horses, including superstar Voyage Bubble. “My father got into racing with his friends, and I grew up attending a lot of races. For us, they’re always huge social events.”
Before this year’s Derby on March 24 at the Sha Tin Racecourse, we’ve invited Ching to join us for a ride in the BMW i7, the German auto maker’s all-electric luxury sedan, to reminisce on the past victorious year – and as he steps into the spacious vehicle, he tells us he’s a BMW owner himself. Although he hasn’t driven an all-electric BMW before, he’s immediately impressed by the car’s technology as we settle in to chat.
Ching says some owners buy horses with the Derby in mind, but he tells us he harboured no such grand dreams of winning the Derby when he bought Voyage Bubble. Simply, his horse trainer, the respected Ricky Yiu Poon-fai, had his eye on the young gelding and the family went along with his expertise. “We’ve worked with Ricky for a long time and we trust him completely,” Ching says, “but we all knew Ricky was best at training sprinters – and, at 2,000 metres, the Derby is a middle-distance race. So when we initially bought Voyage Bubble, we had no idea he’d be where he is today.”
Voyage Bubble’s victory is a particularly inspiring story of determination and indomitable spirit that’s made even more impressive by the fact he started out from the difficult draw of gate 14. “It’s generally not the best position to start a race as it’s the widest gate. Nevertheless, the family weren’t discouraged, we were very happy and honoured to be part of the race even though the prospects of winning weren’t high,” says Ching.
“But just before the race, I was listening to our trainer’s conversation with our jockey. They’d studied a few past races and had a new strategy,’ he explains. “I think it was quite instrumental to our win. We started off with a bad draw, but we ended up with the best result possible.
“This is what’s so exhilarating about horse racing. There are no sure winners or sure losers in a race and it all comes down to strategy, which is what the Hong Kong spirit is about,” Ching says with a smile. “It really has been an unforgettable race of a lifetime and, to be honest, once really is enough!”
Sponsored by BMW since 2013, the Hong Kong Derby is presented as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for horse and horse owners alike. The 2,000-metre race is exclusive to four-year-old horses, and with only one shot at glory it’s the ultimate test for the city’s emerging star horses. Records show that winners often go on to perform exceptionally on the racecourse, and a few Derby winners have subsequently claimed Horse of the Year honours later in their racing careers.
Voyage Bubble has performed strongly since his Derby win. In January, he won the highly anticipated Steward’s Cup, his first Group One race and the initial leg of the Triple Crown series, cementing his superstar status.
Ching is happy with his horse’s performance and is excited about taking him to Dubai next. “The Dubai Racing Club has invited us to race there. It’ll be the first time we’ve taken a horse overseas, which should be another exciting adventure.”
With great glory comes great pressure, but Ching believes in staying level-headed. “We don’t have a competitive mindset,” he says. “My father always told me that to be a successful horse owner, we need to learn to enjoy the process.” The family prefers to go with the flow, setting the next goal for their horse after each race rather than taking giant leaps and aiming high from the outset.
For Ching and his family, the joy of horse ownership is the fact that it brings the family together, win or lose. It’s brought them many happy times and, as he says, “My daughters will even study beforehand, so they know which horses ours is up against in a race. And for my father and I, aside from business, we now share the same passion for horse racing and talk about our horses. It’s really helped enrich our lives and strengthen our family bonding in so many ways.”
But winning, all the same, is a significant achievement, one the Ching family will remember for many years to come. “This has truly been the most wonderful experience for our family,” he says. “It’s been an incredible journey and we’re so honoured and so grateful.”
The BMW Hong Kong Derby is set to take place on March 24 at the Sha Tin Racecourse, with a whole host of fun activities to add to the exciting event. Don’t miss out on games such as the Derby Challenge and the Derby eSport Challenge, as well as the BMW i series Electric Car Display. For more information, click here.
Source: Prestige Online
