Prize racehorse's injury in Macau Jockey Club stable raises safety concerns

A million-dollar prize-winning racehorse has been injured after the partial collapse of a concrete ceiling at the Macau Jockey Club stables.

The Alfonso, which has won prize money of HK$1.27 million at the Macau Derby this season, suffered a deep cut on its forehead inflicted by the crumbling metre-long slab of concrete on June 1. About 10 stitches were applied to the four-year-old Australian-born colt.

The injury raises yet more questions about safety and maintenance at the jockey club after revelations that Hong Kong's most successful racehorse, Viva Pataca - owned by gaming tycoon Stanley Ho Hung-sun - is languishing in the same stables, which, according to a top club official, cannot be compared to standards offered at top-tier horse-racing associations.

The Alfonso's co-owner, Eric Chen Ching Lung, suggested dilapidated facilities and poor maintenance were to blame for the injury. Chen said he feared the successful racehorse had suffered permanent damage that could curtail its glistening career.

"I'm very angry, but there is nothing I can do," he told the Sunday Morning Post. "The Alfonso is a special horse. His recovery is quick.