There are any number of things that can go wrong with a horse, but colliding with a golf cart has to be one of the most obscure.

That happened to Douglas Whyte’s Prince Alex last month, with the horse coming into contact with a buggy driven by a staff member of a rival stable at Sha Tin.

The incident occurred in the days leading up to the gelding’s seventh placing on October 16, with the galloper passed fit to run despite suffering some minor cuts.

The mishap certainly didn’t seem to have any lasting affects on Prince Alex, who finally shook his Hong Kong maiden tag at his 25th attempt on Wednesday night.

In other Happy Valley news, Karis Teetan’s milestone evening was soured after he was hit with a two-meeting careless riding ban for his winning effort aboard Speedstar – the victory that saw him reach 700 Hong Kong successes.

Jockey Club shifts Conghua load

It’s no secret life has been getting busier for Hong Kong’s riding fraternity and the Jockey Club has moved to create a more manageable schedule for its stars by transferring a swag of Conghua trial mornings from Thursday to Friday.

It’s the latest shift in what has been a changing landscape for the city’s riders, with the days of walking out the front door for trials twice a week very much over for most jockeys.

Until quite recently, it was simply a matter of showing up to Sha Tin on Tuesday and Friday mornings with the occasional trip to Happy Valley thrown in.

The introduction of the Jockey Club’s Conghua facility and the end of Covid has changed that, with some weeks featuring two trial mornings on the mainland to complement the traditional two sets at Sha Tin.

Conghua will now feature around four turf trial mornings a month spread across Mondays and Fridays, with growing expectation that jockeys make themselves available.

Of course, it’s not compulsory for jockeys to travel to Conghua, but outside maybe a Zac Purton or a Hugh Bowman, not many have the luxury of telling trainers and owners they won’t go without risking losing rides.

The added physical and mental load of the extra trials and the roughly six-hour round trips has made for a significant change in how some jockeys are managing their recovery and preparation, something certain riders have been eager to point out to officials.

“We want to avoid a situation where we have the jockeys backing up after a Wednesday meeting. We are trying to make it as convenient as possible,” said Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding on the move away from Conghua Thursdays.

With the return to racing in Conghua less than 18 months away and the Jockey Club all-in on its dual-site model, finding the right balance will no doubt be an ongoing juggling act.

Big guns trial

Speaking of trials, a handful of Longines Hong Kong International Races hopefuls went around at Sha Tin on Thursday morning ahead of their Group Two lead-up races on November 17.

Beauty Waves and Beauty Eternal filled the quinella spots in the first 1,200m dirt hit-out, with Galaxy Patch enjoying a quiet time of things further back in field.

“The main thing is we want to keep him calm and make sure he jumps smooth and switches off and picks up in the straight,” trainer Pierre Ng Pang-chi said of Galaxy Patch.

“He was well back and the pace was a bit fast today and he did pick up a lot in the straight. He’s just holding his fitness and he’s ready to race on Sunday week. I’m happy with the trial.”

Helios Express coasted at the back of the field in the morning’s second trial, while Howdeepisyourlove won the fifth heat.

In other news, Jamie Richards’ Young Achiever – the Group Two German 2,000 Guineas (1,600m) winner – has been scratched from Saturday’s Sha Tin meeting after suffering a right fore suspensory ligament injury.