Race Day

This photo was taken during Race Day in Shatin. Horse Racing is a big thing in Hong Kong, with prize purses per race coming in at easily over a million HKD. One of our family friends happens to be a trustee of the Jockey Club, and he invited us to spend the afternoon at the races with his family.

It was an interesting afternoon spent in the luxurious private boxes above the grandstand, and listening to people talking about the races, and about their horses: bloodlines, races won and lost, etc etc. As somebody who has been an avid cat fancier in the past and who owns a could-have-been champion cat (he got first best kitten once, and then I decided to retire him because he clearly wasn't enjoying it), I can understand that enthusiasm -- the act of refining nature to get the "perfect" animal. It's a passion and a hobby, albeit a very expensive one!

I also enjoyed spending the day outside the city for once. Okay, the racecourse is artificial, but look at the green hill behind the course. Hong Kong is covered in vast swathes of these green areas. I just wish that the urban and rural areas were more evenly distributed -- methinks there would be a lot less stress living here if that were the case!