Steve Moran

From Ella to Kandy, Moran sights chances of Western Express in Yasuda Kinen

Colombo is pleasant enough but largely uninspiring. As best as I can gather it is the December 1942 birth place of Sri Lanka’s best known racing figure Muzaffar Ali Yaseen, occasional Australian resident and owner-breeder of Redoute’s Choice and, of course, Lankan Rupee.

 

His name, as one of the wealthiest men in the country, is known among some locals but not through any connection to horse racing. OK, I made that last bit up. He’s very low profile. Nobody knows him. Even in Australia, very few industry people have ever met him.

 

Cricket, unsurprisingly, is the dominant topic of sporting conversation among the locals who invariably respond as follows, seemingly channelling 10 CC’s Dreadlock Holiday, when asked if they like cricket. “I don’t like cricket, oh no I love it,” they say virtually to a man.

 

Galle is home to one of Sri Lanka’s test cricket grounds (it ain’t the MCG) and also the renowned Fort which was built by the Portuguese in 1588 before being further fortified by the Dutch in the mid 1600s. It’s well worth a visit.

 

We meander along the waterfront, where thousands (among an estimated 30,000 nation wide) lost their lives in the catastrophic tsunami of 2004. Cricket helped galvanize the population in the aftermath and the locals still speak of positive contributions from Shane Warne and others.

 

We strike up a conversation with 37 year-old tuk tuk driver Nana, who’s fishing with a hand line. He says his father was among the tsunami dead. He’s keen to assure us that he’s the man for the job when we inquire about driving from Galle to Arugam Bay, on the east coast. It’s some 300 kilometres and we’re fearful he’ll turn up with a tuk tuk but, no, he has a car – albeit small but comfortable enough.

 

We engage his assistance, largely at his insistence, for three days and finish up paying quite a sum. We’re hoping that’s a combined result of our stupidity and his naivety rather than an outright con but we’re not sure. Moral of the story is establish cost up front and I would advise engaging a local driver and seeking local assistance at each port of call.

 

Winding roads, a couple of detours and numerous slow points where villagers and townspeople are providing free food – from curries and rice to ice cream – to all comers make it a slow and fairly taxing journey from one coast to the other (but better than the bus, other tourists tell us).

 

The free food is part of the celebration of Adhi Poson Full Moon Poya Day which is fundamentally a buddhist holiday. Seventy percent of Sri Lankans are Buddhist. There is no overt service of alcohol on this day. In Sinhalese, “poya” is derived from a word meaning “fast day’.

 

This had me thinking of Phar Lap which I’d always believed was also derived from Sinhalese. But a little research suggests that’s now disproved and that phar lap, meaning lightning, comes from a Siamese dialect.

 

It transpires that Nana, who brings along a relief driver in his school mate Dinesh, pretty much fancies an east coast holiday at our expense although perhaps I shouldn’t be so unkind – channelling Kamahl who for so many years was the face of Sri Lanka’s iconic tea Dilmah. But as it turns out, he’s Malaysian and not Sri Lankan. Younger readers will have to ask older counterparts about the unkind reference.

 

We stay with Thusthantha at Ari’s Guest House which is a good choice. He takes some of our fellow guests on a neighbourhood safari and they return with photos of crocodiles and elephant herds. Plus they sight a leopard which is rare.

 

Nana says he knows where to go and will take us. We spot one elephant. Again, go with a local.

 

One was our number. One silly call and several one-off sightings. En route to Arugam Bay we’d bypassed the time and expense of a trip to Yala National Park and rather taken a short bypass through Bundala Park where we see one crocodile. As the daylight journey continues, we see precisely one elephant and one peacock both of which are apparently real road hazards when they appear in much greater numbers from nightfall. In certain areas, you just don’t drive from dusk onwards.

 

Our new found Sri Lankan ‘friends’ tend to their own business as Matt and I check in to Ari’s place, right on the beach at Arugam Bay, which is excellent and a reasonable $40 per night.

 

The boys drive us on to Ella where we’ll take what is described as one of the world’s great train journeys – from Ella to Kandy. It takes six hours but we’re told only standing tickets are available. That just ain’t an option. We pull some strings, the day before, and secure seats.

 

You might have to direct message me on the string pulling. As it turned out we needn’t have bothered. There were ample available seats but we’re not here in peak season. There is much confusion over rail tickets so my advice would be either book your tickets well in advance – ideally before you leave home – or inquire if your hotel can help when you initially make your booking.

 

The train journey is spectacular. From thousands of stepped acres quilted with tea leaf to palpitatingly, precipitous escarpments. Enough of the prose. Now to the pointers – you probably want to take along some of your own food and drink although you can buy some on-board and from station walking vendors. Chai tea seems the only hot drink which seems bizarre in, of all places, Sri Lanka.

 

Eighty cents for hot peanuts in bags fashioned from the pages of a school exercise book is a worthy investment.

 

By the way, you definitely want to take along your own toilet paper and hand wash.

 

In Kandy, we stay at Queen’s Hotel – a relic of a colonial era and not dissimilar to Raffles in Singapore. But Queen’s is more original and better value for money. Stay there.

 

In the meantime I begin a perusal of Sha Tin on Wednesday. I like betting on Hong Kong racing and European racing for that matter. Sometimes that troubles me as I wonder if it’s a result of, at least, a greater subconscious faith in their integrity.

 

I’m in form but prudently decide better to leave it to my Hong Kong guru JB. He comes up trumps or perhaps it was Buddha smiling on me again. I find a winner which defrays some of the small fortune I’ve handed over to Nana and his buddy. While losing doesn’t bother me quite as it did as a younger man, there’s nothing quite like winning to put a spring in your step and instil a focused, relish for doing the form.

 

But there’s only one thing worse than being conned and that’s wondering whether you have been or you haven’t. Yes, understand….first world problem and, no, I haven’t lost a family member in natural disaster.

 

Further ahead, I’m starting to think the John Size-trained Western Express, who won twice in Australia as Cardless Cash, might have a little chance in the Yasuda Kinen (in Tokyo) on the strength of the Southern Legend form line. Hong Kong-based Australian Sam Clipperton takes the ride.

 

I’ve time, too, to look at the recently launched worldhorseracing.com – an initiative of Ascot, the VRC, Breeders’ Cup and Goodwood.

 

Have to say, at the risk of being a grumpy old man (which I am), it’s a bit like Colombo – pleasant enough but largely uninspiring. There’s nothing there for me. No doubt they will say it’s not aimed at me but why not? The core fan is not only your likely best customer but your best advocate.

 

Everybody loves the best of the best in any arena but if I cannot direct any casual racing fans, among my acquaintances, to a one stop portal to engage with the best then they will quickly lose interest.

 

Where’s the link to live coverage or replays or form for the best race conducted by those organisations? Where’s the link to various pari-mutuel betting options – surely we don’t have to be that myopic or paranoid that an Australian can’t bet online on the Ascot tote or likewise an English punter have a Melbourne Cup flutter with TABcorp.

 

While the Racing Post provides excellent form and results service on worldwide stakes races, if there’s one thing which horse racing lacks, it’s a one stop – one click shop which provides vision and betting access to the world’s great races. Maybe worldhorseracing.com, in partnership with a site like the Racing Post and the world’s various racing bodies, could be a starting point but it has a long way to go.

 

Anyway, that’s enough pontification from beautiful Arugam Bay which is a haven for surfers – many from Australia. PS…couldn’t find a local wine but you can source the odd Australian red, in generally barred Sri Lankan bottle shops, for around $20.

 

PS….and just while we’re on the subject of the world’s great races, did you pick up this quote from Gerald Mosse which appeared in the Racing Post: “For me there’s nothing bigger in the world than the Melbourne Cup and it was an amazing feeling to win,” he said in reference to his success on Americain.

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