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CHARL PRETORIUS
CHAMPION sprinter JJ The Jet Plane will not be allowed to compete in the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint over 1200m at Sha-Tin racecourse on 14 December and his connections are bitterly disappointed and aggrieved.
The Hong Kong Veterinary Authority has refused to grant trainer Mike de Kock a temporary import permit for JJ The Jet Plane to travel to Hong Kong for the international races based on the fact that the horse would not have spent 60 days in Europe prior to his planned entry to Hong Kong.
Although the European Union lifted the suspension on imports from South Africa in October 2006, the Hong Kong government at the time insisted on South African horses spending an additional 60 days in Europe pre-entry to Hong Kong.
This policy was imposed by the HK Veterinary Authority in the lead up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing in August. It was suggested that horses imported directly for the Equestrian Games would present too much of a risk to the Olympic Games (which South Africa accepted) but that once the Games were over, direct imports would resume.
JJ The Jet Plane left South Africa on 27 October 2008 and is roughly 15 days short of qualifying under current conditions. According to Racing South Africa’s CEO Peter Gibson, who negotiated with the Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Veterinary Authority, nobody was willing to consider and adjust the rules. While the initial feedback had appeared to be positive, the outcome was not and Gibson commented: "Yesterday morning we made a last ditch salvage attempt by asking the South African Consul General in Hong Kong to get a special once-off dispensation from the Veterinary Authority, but it was rejected.’’
In 1997 Hong Kong accepted EU protocol and allowed London News to contest and win the QEII Cup, while National Currency (2003), entered the country in a period when all suspensions were lifted and finished second to Hong Kong’s star sprinter Silent Witness.
"At the end of the day,’’ Gibson added, "it boiled down to policy rather than the risk of introducing African Horse Sickness (AHS) to Hong Kong. This risk was zero because JJ The Jet Plane came from a AHS-free controlled area in Cape Town where he was kept under vector-protected conditions for 40 days and subjected to all required disease tests before departure, all of which were negative.’’
However the HK Veterinary Authority was not prepared to consider changing the policy until they had inspected SA’s AHS Control measures. Unfortunately, the two governments could not agree on a date that was suitable for both parties before the International Races, so the stalemate remains.
"The old guard in Hong Kong has changed and we’re dealing with a new breed of bureaucrat. In the context of the career of a racehorse and the objective of the HK International Races, this is a travesty and the sport of horseracing is the loser,’’ Gibson concluded.
JJ The Jet Plane’s former trainer "Lucky" Houdalakis expressed his shock and said: "All JJ’s connections were booked to go to Hong Kong but we will be cancelling our trip now.’’
Mike de Kock said that Mark Player of the Hong Kong Jockey Club tried everything he could to get JJ The Jet Plane to Hong Kong, but to no avail. De Kock was highly annoyed when asked to comment: "This is a big blow to JJ’s owners and to everyone in the stable who helped to prepare him for the race. The Hong Kong Veterinary Authority’s policy is devoid of any sense and has no scientific base. The losers here are the Hong Kong racing public and in fact racing fans all over the world. JJ would have been at least second favourite.’’
He added: "What is the Asian Racing Conference for? The delegates are supposed to encourage cooperation between racing jurisdictions and find solutions. African Horsesickness is not leprosy, it is a non-contagious disease but is surrounded by paranoia, rather than knowledge. The export protocol out of South Africa makes us much less competitive in the world sales market. Who knows where SA would have been if we were able to trade freely and on an equal footing like other countries.’’
De Kock, who has overseen eight-time winning SA sprinter Mythical Flight’s preparation in the UK in the absence of trainer Sean Tarry, said that this one would be taking his place in the Hong Kong Sprint. "He is looking good and has been working well. He will be coming off a rest but I believe he has done enough work to be very competitive. It’s a pity now that we can’t see both South African runners in the race.’’
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