HK stars rank with the best - but struggle overseas
One would expect that a season when Hong Kong-trained horses headed two separate world ranking brackets simultaneously had been a boom year internationally.

International sale graduates turning into great money spinners
If there's such a thing as a horse sale being too healthy or too successful, then the Hong Kong International Sale probably fits that description after a year when the boutique market went gangbusters.

Whyte proves once again he's untouchable
After the titanic struggle of last year, the jockeys' championship was back to a one-horse race, with Douglas Whyte dominant from the jump and filling his pockets with records.

Size and Moore have season to remember
John Size wrested back the premiership which has become almost his personal domain, but the historical high note for the 2007-08 season was his compatriot John Moore becoming the first professional of either discipline to train 1,000 winners.

Tsui is man of the year
The numbers show he finished third on the trainers' ladder, but for what he achieved and the class of cattle he achieved it with, Me Tsui Yu-sak is our trainer of the year.

Beadman gamble pays off handsomely
While the championship ladder ended with a familiar look about it, this was a season when the Jockey Club licensing committee took a couple of risks in the riding roster and emerged looking all the bolder for having taken them.

Age rule change to extend HK career for Size
The Jockey Club yesterday scrapped an age-related rule for expatriate trainers in a move that will help keep John Size in Hong Kong for five more years.

Club retains hope on overseas bets
The Jockey Club will make another approach to government on the commingling of foreign investments into local pools - the "biggest potential growth area".

Season ending bonanza for Club as Prebble scores winning treble
Bill Nader was crying "show me the money" early in the evening at Happy Valley and the horse players of Hong Kong, somehow hearing him, piled it on until the counter stopped at an astonishing HK$912 million...

Dirt champ Curlin gets taste of turf and eyes the Arc
Jockey Robby Albarado admitted he was nervous as he guided reigning Horse of the Year Curlin out to the turf course at Churchill Downs for arguably the most important training session of the four-year-old colt's career.

Ba Ba award is icing on cake for Schutz
Outstanding miler Good Ba Ba gave German trainer Andreas Schutz one of the greatest thrills of his successful career when he was crowned Horse of the Year at the champion awards ceremony during the season's Sha Tin finale yesterday.

Whyte signs off in style with four-timer
The stars were out in force at yesterday's Sha Tin season finale but it Douglas Whyte, the champion jockey for the eighth successive season, who emerged the biggest winner in landing a celebratory four-timer.

Danesis proves highlight of big day for Coetzee
Felix Coetzee finished his Sha Tin season with a flourish, landing a powerful three-timer that included the breakthrough win of a long-time loser and capturing a HK$1 million bonus with Danesis for his former retaining trainer Tony Cruz.

Prebble's new partnerships 'going great'
Brett Prebble will go to his summer pasture as runner-up to Douglas Whyte for a third successive season, but a double for local handler Dennis Yip Chor-hong yesterday saw the Australian pause to momentarily ponder a possible future victory over dominating Durban Demon.

Slight drop in turnover
A late scratching, the lack of a Triple Trio jackpot and the psychological presence of tomorrow night's added Happy Valley meeting combined to see yesterday's season-finale figures at Sha Tin come in lower than a year ago.

Excellent Boy gets his head together after stable drama
Excellent Boy gave the Caspar Fownes stable a late-season highlight in the final Sha Tin race for the season yesterday and the wonder was not so much that he won, but that he made the race at all.

While Curlin's Asmussen spices up drug saga, Dutrow says breach no big deal
America's racing drug scandal continues to get juicier.
Steve Asmussen, who trains the 2007 Horse of the Year Curlin, is the latest trainer who is set to be grilled by Texas racing officials after one of his horses...

Red-hot Tsui gives rivals a run for their money
There's no stopping the in-form stable of Me Tsui Yu-sak. At the back end of the season when the top stables struggle for winners, Tsui was the lamplighter yesterday with a treble from the first four races.

Coetzee salute for Size
If you were betting on the highlight of Felix Coetzee's season, one might assume that winning the Derby on Helene Mascot stood way out on its own...

Whyte maintains Ng's late-season charge
Champion jockey Douglas Whyte managed to include a harmless race fall into a largely forgettable day, but he was able to contribute to a double for trainer Gary Ng Ting-keung...

Master Power shows who's the boss in wet conditions
Master Power took 13 months to find the same conditions as in his first Hong Kong win, but he made the most of the opportunity to take the Hoi Ha Handicap (1,200m) yesterday - thanks to his owner Chow Kay-yui.

Club given go-ahead for new fixture
The smaller Happy Valley fields will be the saving factor at next Thursday's meeting after the government approved the replacement fixture yesterday for Wednesday night's washed-out card.

Dutrow faces 15-day ban for another failed drug test
Rick Dutrow is in trouble again.
The outspoken trainer of Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Big Brown is facing a 15-day suspension by Kentucky racing officials after another horse ...

Club seeks quick washout remedy
The Jockey Club is "optimistic" the Home Affairs Bureau will grant a replacement meeting next Thursday - two days after the season's "finale" - for last night's Happy Valley washout.

Trialled and tested: Ocean Tranquil is solid as ever
Ocean Tranquil had no trouble gaining his ticket back to the races with a strong win in smart time in the only barrier trial at Sha Tin yesterday.

Mosse banned for nine meetings
Gerald Mosse was a shattered man last night after being banned for nine meetings on a merits charge arising from the Sha Tin meeting on Sunday.

Backing a winner has never been easier
Never mind the economy or rebates as a reason for the continued increase in turnover - take a bow Hong Kong punters because it is you and the quality of your prognostications which might well be the underpinning cause.

Royal Ascot win exposes weak rules
Last week's Royal Ascot was beamed around the globe and much of the racing world has been horrified at what went on under the cloak of legitimacy at Britain's annual celebration of racing excellence.