South China Morning Post.....
Pataca seems unable to catch a plane anywhere
ON THE RAILS With, ALAN AITKEN
The world is starting to look like Viva Pataca's bad oyster, with the abandonment now of the horse's tilt at the John Deere Breeders' Cup Turf in the US next month.
First there was the delay in selection that forced trainer John Moore to bypass a start at the Dubai World Cup meeting, only to see the horse's arch rival Vengeance Of Rain take the world's joint-richest turf race - the Sheema Classic.
Then there were the equine influenza uncertainties in Australia, which halted the star stayer's Cox Plate campaign in Melbourne, before Moore came up with the Breeders' Cup as an option to show the outstanding galloper's worth on the world stage in coming months.
The only problem is that the Breeders' Cup this year is to be staged - for the first time in its history - in the state of New Jersey, and owner Stanley Ho Hung-sun has now withdrawn his consent to participate.
While Moore has preferred not to comment on the reasons behind the Macau casino tycoon's change of heart and Ho's office will only confirm that the billionaire has denied permission for the trip, one can only suspect that it has to do with the New Jersey Casino Control Commission.
Ho's daughter, Pansy, has a 50-50 partnership with MGM Mirage in a major casino development in Macau.
Under the laws in the United States, gaming authorities take it upon themselves to make probity judgments on relationships between US casino companies and other entities, even if those relationships occur outside the United States.
While the relationship between MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho's organisation has been approved recently by casino authorities in other American states, it has yet to be approved by New Jersey, where MGM Mirage falls under the aegis of the NJCCC as it has a casino in Atlantic City.
However, the business end of things turns out, for Viva Pataca it's back to Plan C and to contesting the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races - while campaigns for further overseas glory will have to wait for another day ... yet again.
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