Thousands of Hong Kong families enjoyed the party atmosphere at Sha Tin as the sold-out National Day Carnival was hailed a resounding success on Sunday, 3 October 2004.

And on an occasion when over 7,200 children flocked to the racetrack for the first time, Town Of Fionn, one of the best young horses in Hong Kong, carried off the feature event, The National Day Cup, the first leg of the HSBC Premier Series.

Jockey Club officials were pleased with the festive atmosphere and attendance of over 48,000 at Sha Tin and Penfold Park, the racetrack infield where kids were treated to pony rides and stage performances and a host of other entertainments.

Demand from the public to enter Penfold Park was so great that the 'house full' sign was put up before the second race of the day.

Prior to the start of racing, leading Hong Kong singers Aaron Kwok, Hacken Lee, Gigi Leung and Jade Kwan treated the crowds to some of their most famous numbers. At the close of racing, the crowds stayed behind to witness a spectacular pyrotechnic show.

On the track, a thrilling National Day Cup, the first leg of the HSBC Premier Series, went to the Glyn Schofield-ridden Town Of Fionn by a head from Meridian Star with Bowman's Crossing in third.

The win in the Premier Class event over 1400m helped Danny Shum Chap-shing to maintain his advantage at the head of the trainers' premiership.

"Danny says he will stay a mile so Town Of Fionn will have a rest now and he will be aimed at the Hong Kong Mile in December," said winning owner Mr Yeung Kwong-fat, enjoying the day with wife Hazer and young son Boulson.

There was more good news for Hong Kong racing in Japan as Cape Of Good Hope, trained by David Oughton and ridden by Brett Prebble, stayed on strongly from off the pace on an unsuitably heavy track to claim a fine third place behind Calstone Light O in the Sprinters' Stakes in Tokyo.

Introduction

The National Day Cup was established in 1999 by the Stewards to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. The Cup, a 9-inch high Chinese silver bowl handcrafted around 1880, was selected from an exclusive collection in the summer of 1999.