Rising superstar Aethero is the short priced elect for the $A3.77m Sprint, the same riches goes the way of the victor in the 2400 metres Vase in which Hong Kong's premier stayer Exultant is favourite.
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The $A4.716m Mile sees two-time champion Beauty Generation -a hero in Hong Kong - ready to return to best form but he takes on the formidable Japanese star Indy Champ while the $5.28m HK Cup draws only eight runners with Mackinnon Stakes winner Magic Wand seeking her second win at the elite level.
Expectation, in terms of racing, is at fever pitch but Hong Kong is different this year.
Vastly different.
Not since the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in 2003 has the economic headwinds for Hong Kong been so troublesome.
At the peak of the SARS outbreak, property prices dropped by up to 50 per cent and the many fled the once British colony, sighting a mortality rate of 17 per cent of those infected.
Social discontent with the Chinese Administration is at the core of the unrest this time and the HKJC can do little more than carry on with business as best they can.
A neutral position is impossible to defer from yet, with more than 22,000 employees and significant contribution to charities coming from wagering profits, the HJKC is disaffected.
Two meetings from the magnificent Happy Valley track on Hong Kong Island have already been cancelled this season with safety of patrons at the forefront.
The numbers 721 and 831 are omnipresent across many districts - with 721 a simple reference to a thuggish attack on protesters returning from a march at Yuen Long on by police and Government supporters.
On July 21 (721) over 100 men dressed in white attacked civilians on streets with steel rods and rattan canes and attacked passengers in the Yuen Long MTR station.
The elderly, children and black-clad protesters along with journalists and lawmakers were assaulted with 45 people were injured including a pregnant woman.
Despite thousands of reports to the 999 emergency hotline, the police did not arrive for more than 30 minutes and finally arrived moments after the mob had left the Yuen Long station and no arrests were made that night.
Many accused the police of failing to protect citizens, with some even alleging police collusion.
Midst the civil unrest, the HKJC soldiers on.
Their big day will attract worldwide attention but the meeting at Sha Tin is not expected to be troubled by protesters.
Their function is anti government, anti-police and anti-businesses which have strong ties to alleged triad links.
Before the 721 attacks, incumbent councillor Junius Ho filmed with the violent mob and later called them "heroes" and warmly shook their hands.
Around the city on many "Lennon walls" - sites where protestors display artworks - depict Ho in a decidedly negative sense.
And, many understand, it was the nomination of former John O'Shea-trained Australian-bred galloper Irish Bet (now racing locally as Hong Kong Bet) which led to the meeting of September 18 at Happy Valley being abandoned.
Hong Kong Bet is raced by Junius Ho - a HKJC member - who was recently deposed as representative from of the Tuen Mun District Council on the Hong Kong Council.
His very public pro-police and government statements prior to the social unrest have been stark and is a reviled figure among those with democracy in their heart.
Make no mistake, Hong Kong is suffering but it's far from unsafe.
Protests in the main are peaceful and vandalism is limited mainly to business owners with ties to those who have condemned the protesters.
Collateral damage is extensive, bars in Lang Kwai Fong and Causeway Bay restaurants have closed due to the financial contraction.
In racing's scope, Simon Kwok - the owner of Beauty Generation - is said to be closing up to 25 per cent of his 118 Sasa retail outlets. Kwok has publicly supported the police in general and the retail outlets have been targeted.
Wan Chai's nightlife is a nothing like it was even 12 months back, with bars and fast food outlets reporting a 30 per cent downturn.
Ultimately, the Sha Tin extravaganza will thrill a big crowd. The attendance is expected to be lower than usual but the show will go on.
During handover of the British colony in 1997, People's Republic of China leader Deng Xiaoping famously said, to allay the fears of locals, of Hong Kong post-handover "after 1997, the horses will still run."
And they did ... and they are on Sunday.