Obviously a lot has changed in the world – and specifically Hong Kong – since 2019, but what has happened for the goalposts to be uprooted and planted downfield so suddenly?
This week’s announcement included a statement from Harding that indicated the new rules were in response to the Club’s mainland expansion and move to ‘regular racing’ at Conghua Racecourse. He explained that a 400-horse expansion would establish “a triangle of racing across our three racecourses.”
“Between now and the end of 2030 we will permanently expand the footprint of the Club’s racing, and at the same time carry out some of the most large-scale capital works projects ever undertaken,” he said.
Aside from some minor details, this plan doesn’t sound new, but clearly Moore wasn’t part of the long-term vision.
It could be argued that in this instance, the Club needed to move in response to a generational crisis of sorts in the training ranks, with 11 trainers aged 60 or over.
Golden Sixty’s trainer Francis Lui (63) and 2019-20 champion Ricky Yiu (64) were both granted five-year extensions beyond next season based on performance.
The HKJC has also responded to the generational challenge by appointing two new trainers with youth on their side, New Zealand trainer Jamie Richards (32) and Pierre Ng (38).
Peter Ng proud as punch as Pierre fulfils destiny
None of this is new though, for officials who think in terms of decades not years.
Regardless, for all of the Club’s grand plans, you can’t help but think Hong Kong racing is worse off for Moore’s absence as a trainer and the fact he was pushed out is puzzling when placed in the context of those plans.
This week, Harding talked about the importance of ‘high-performing and elite trainers’ who produce high quality horses to add to the Club’s “strategic objective of world-class racing, and provide this level of services to owners whose investments are key to the quality of our racing.”
If this is what is important – training world-class horses – then nobody in the history of Hong Kong was, or is, better at that than John Moore.
Size may have won more championships than Moore – 11 to his compatriot’s five – but Moore has trained many more champions.
Moore trained the Horse Of The Year winner for seven straight years before his final campaign, among nine overall, while Size has prepared just two, and none for 20 years.
Moore won the Hong Kong Derby six times to Size’s three and has won 33 Group One races to Size’s 17 at Sha Tin.
There is also Moore’s role as a statesman for Hong Kong racing. His Group 1 successes in Dubai and Singapore helped put Hong Kong on the map. In contrast, Size is yet to win away from home as a Hong Kong trainer.