Pakistan and horse racing aren't really words/phrases that go hand in hand.
But Pakistan Star has changed all that.
If you weren't tuned in to Sha Tin on July 1, you would have missed this 3yr-old get well back - maybe eight to 10 lengths off the second-last horse in a field of 14 - until the 500m mark.
His finish out in the centre of the Sha Tin track was so powerful he ended up scoring by almost two lengths.
It's not easily described in print, so it's best to search on Google for Pakistan Star Sha Tin and watch the sheer speed of the son of Shamardal unfold.
Sure it was getting towards the end of the season in Hong Kong when he delivered this performance, but even the base quality in Hong Kong is pretty strong and his 1200m time was under 1.10 on a good to firm track.
What's he going to be like with some manners from the gates?
Breaking new ground?
Racing Matters missed the New Zealand Bloodstock Cup from Korchin in Inner Mongolia on Sunday due to still wrapping up some loose ends from the Oamaru meeting.
Sadly, a replay of the race has so far proved elusive online.
One wonders whether that is due to copyright reasons, technical difficulties or the quality of the race which - from anecdotal reports - was not particularly outstanding, with the field strung out like Grandma's washing.
Either way, it is still a market worth exploring considering the potential of this industry (assuming mainland China ever gets around to legalising gambling on horse racing) but it sounds like it's very much a work in progress.
Nek level
What does it tell you about the quality of this year's 3yr-old pacing fillies crop in New Zealand when Nek Time - who was flat out chasing the All Stars trio of Dream About Me, Golden Goddess and Piccadilly Princess - heads to Queensland and claims the Gold Coast and Queensland Oaks?
Based on her Oaks win, she'll be a threat in the Queensland Derby this week.
In the fullness of time, pundits might look back at this bunch as one of the great 3yr-old crops.
And that's without mentioning Luisanabelle Midfrew, who was luckless in the 3yr-old fillies features, but lined up against the older mares in the New Zealand Breeders Stakes and won!
Lazy Fiver
Wobbegong - one heck of a name (it's a bottom-feeding shark apparently), but a great name as far as Racing Matters is concerned after he won at Oamaru on Sunday.
Hard to look past Flying Sardine in race 3 at Oamaru on Sunday after his outstanding debut on the same course last month.
