Danny gets ostracized ~ bye bye HK

[my miss storm cat]

Is there anything wrong here?

He's on the 4..... Sacred Kingdom.

http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/r...2007&raceno=08

[my miss storm cat]

The official word.....

Daniel Nikolic released from Club Jockey's agreement

12 September 2007

The Licensing Committee has, by circulation of paper, agreed to a request from Club Jockey Daniel Nikolic that he be released from his agreement to ride with the Club with immediate effect.

* * *

At least the real story came out - to some degree - on SCMP.....



Poisonous culture hangs Nikolic out to dry


ON THE RAILS, with MURRAY BELL


The demise of Danny Nikolic as a club jockey is a tale of the intrigue that lies behind Hong Kong racing - a startling reminder of all that is good and bad in this exciting, crazy city and how western influences may change many things, but domestic culture escapes largely unscathed.
Nikolic found his position untenable through circumstances out of his control. He gave a big-name horse a perfect ride - and we mean perfect in every sense of the term - but when it finished fourth the silent assassins moved in.

He "held" it, the gossips said. But true to the culture, no one would personally put that proposition to Nikolic himself.

The week after Sacred Kingdom was beaten by rising star Medic Power in course record time in June, Nikolic knew he was in grave risk of being kicked off the horse, but had no idea how bad it would get.

Trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fie would not talk to him. Yiu has been here a lot longer than Nikolic and has seen the worst of it himself. We are talking about the original trainer of Fairy King Prawn, Electronic Unicorn and Bullish Luck.

Yiu had won the Hong Kong Sprint with Fairy King Prawn so he could scarcely be accused of underachieving. But he lost the best horse in town to Ivan Allan.

So, when the natives became restless after the defeat of the previously unbeaten Sacred Kingdom, you could scarcely blame Yiu if he fell strangely silent amid the gossip and innuendo surrounding Nikolic.

After all, Yiu understands the culture as only a three-time victim can, and expected the owners would want someone to punish for the defeat. Given a choice of himself or the jockey, he probably felt he had "no choice" than to cut the jockey adrift

When Nikolic returned from holidays and began riding work, the deed had been done. But still - again, true to the culture - Nikolic had not been told. Outstanding French jockey Gerald Mosse had accepted an offer from the owners to take over the riding of Sacred Kingdom and gave Nikolic a friendly call to update him. Different culture entirely.

This column can say without fear of contradiction that rumours of Nikolic having allegedly pulled up Sacred Kingdom reached the ears of the stipendiary stewards, who immediately pulled out the videos to see what, if anything, they had missed.

There it was, a two-horse race on paper, with main danger Medic Power running third on the fence and Nikolic was tactically perfect in positioning Sacred Kingdom up outside him. That Medic Power won easily should demonstrate this was the ideal place to be, yet this column hears that convoluted thinking has it the other way, as "evidence" that the horse was "held".

Nikolic said he was concerned going into the race that Sacred Kingdom had peaked for the season and had expressed those views to Yiu beforehand. Colleague Alan Aitken and I also sensed it and tipped Medic Power to win the race with his five-pound weight advantage.

The stewards know they have no place responding to rumours, which owners would only deny anyway, but they all feel badly for Nikolic.

When he returned to riding from the summer break, most of the local trainers for whom he rode last year told him they didn't want to put him on, even in trackwork. The poison had taken root.

The gossip had been repeated until it became accepted fact, while the real facts were there plainly for all to see, if only they'd look. And all that work Nikolic put into the education and steady development of a raw talent called Sacred Kingdom, work that gave the owners such a bountiful harvest, was dismissed without even a phone call.

When locals are asked to explain this thinking, the answer is "saving face". But for those of us brought up in a different culture, we may never understand how an unjustified character assassination gives or saves face for anyone.

[my miss storm cat]

More jockey tales from not-quite-so-happy Happy Valley.....

Major blowout between Brett Prebble and Tony Cruz following the Survey Survey race.

Ferraris cans Chui who is busy kissing up to Cruz...

[my miss storm cat]

SCMP.....

Chui too big for his boots, says fed-up Ferraris


MURRAY BELL


Apprentice Marco Chui Kwan-lai has had an acrimonious split from his allocated trainer David Ferraris and been benched by stipendiary stewards, causing him to forfeit three rides at Happy Valley tomorrow night.
Ferraris told stewards on Sunday that he no longer wished to have Chui allocated to his yard, complaining of the youngster's "bad attitude" and repeated failure to attend afternoon stables.

Yesterday, stewards dissolved the relationship and suspended Chui for three meetings for breach of agreement. Expressions of interest from trainers who might want to take over Chui's career were called, with Tony Cruz a short-priced favourite to gain his services.

Ferraris said last night Chui had been wanting to move to Cruz's yard for some time, accusing the apprentice of getting "a swelled head" after riding 34 winners.

"Between my father [South African trainer Ormond Ferraris] and myself, we have had a lot of top apprentices over the years, including a champion in Weichong Marwing, so I think we know something about the subject," Ferraris said. "Marco now seems to think he's too good to be riding the horses in my yard, and if that's his attitude, he may as well go to Mr Cruz.

"All I know from my many years in the game is that when people get swelled heads like this, and carried away with their own ability, they usually come down to earth with a big thud."


Ferraris told stewards yesterday he had become increasingly disappointed with the attitude displayed by Chui and, in particular, his failure to attend the stables in the afternoons as required.

Ferraris' assistant, Joe Tai Lap-keung, confirmed to stewards that he had spoken to Chui on two occasions regarding his non-attendance at the stables in the afternoons and had also expressed these concerns to Amy Chan Lim-chee, headmistress of the apprentice jockeys' school.

Chan told the hearing she had advised Chui to ensure he was present at the stables when he was not required by the school to be present at other activities.

Chui pleaded guilty to having breached the Apprentice Indenture Agreement Regulations, both late last season and again at the start of the current season. He was suspended until September 27, effective immediately - a stretch that will incorporate three race days.

[my miss storm cat]

Yes i AM entertaining myself, thank you very much.

Bend over Tony.....

HKJC press.....

Marco Chui re-allocated to Tony Cruz
(no author listed)

After conducting statistical research of Marco Chui's riding records from the 2006-2007 season, the Club has decided to reallocate the apprentice jockey to trainer Tony Cruz. The research showed that Chui's services were used by a total of 20 trainers, yet Cruz provided Chui with half of his 24 wins last season and accounted for more than half of his earnings.

The apprentice riding school has a mission of providing young people with a rare opportunity to develop as highly competent jockeys and good citizens. The Club takes great pride in the program and in its record of success.

Several trainers expressed interest in acquiring Chui when his services became available, a solid indication of the success of the Club's apprentice program development. The Club, however, did take disciplinary action for his failure to attend afternoon stable sessions when Chui was allocated to trainer David Ferraris. He was suspended for three race meetings and the Club will continue to monitor his conduct throughout the season. In addition, the apprentice school will specifically design a program to provide the proper platform for Chui's personal and professional growth.