Arriving In Ordos for the CECF

The knock on my hotel door at 8:07 a.m. on Thursday meant that, yes, officially, I would be leaving for China less than three hours later. Up until then, I'd been in visa limbo, and had been telling people, “Well, I may, or may not, be going to Inner Mongolia on Aug. 18,” Inner Mongolia just sounding more exotic than China, and so the preferred nomenclature.

At the door was a hotel clerk, delivering my passport and visa, which had arrived in Newark from Washington DC just minutes before. (The problem in obtaining the visa was a late start; I had been traveling in Chile a week before, and the Chinese embassy needs to have your physical passport in hand to issue a visa.)

But thanks to an expediting service, and a few lively calls to said service by the TDN brass, I had a visa in hand, and by 11 a.m. was on a flight to Shanghai. It's 25 hours on now, and I'm writing from a hotel room in Ordos, a beautiful, modern, but sparsely populated city (more on this later).

The reason for the trip is the 2016 Chinese Equine Cultural Festival, which will include a four-race card on Sunday at nearby Yiqi Race Course, hosted by the China Horse Club. The CHC has imported 120 horses to Yiqi for the races, and local jockeys will be joined by riders from Russia, England, Barbardos, Australia and elsewhere. As you'd expect, there will be no wagering on the races, which are being held to promote Chinese racing both in and out of the country.

Founded just three years ago, the China Horse Club has already become a major player on the international stage. Helmed by Teo Ah Khing, the CHC campaigned the G1 Epsom Derby winner Australia (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) along the Coolmore partners, and no fewer than 10 other Group 1 winners. At the recent Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, CHC purchased five yearlings alone and a sixth in partnership, including a pair of colts by Tapit who made $800,000 and $750,000, respectively.

On Saturday night, the CHC will host a gala dinner, and two tours of the city and cultural centers are on offer. Over the next two or three days, we'll provide coverage of these events, give you some background on the city of Ordos and its equine roots, and dig deeper into what China Horse Club is, and what it's trying to accomplish.

Back to the travel report. We're glad to report potential international incidents were kept to a minimum. At Shanghai's Pudong airport, I did point to a smart phone in one Chinese gentleman's hand and ask, “Do you want me to take that?” The thing was, his infant son was perched, somewhat precariously, on the same arm as he fumbled to hold his luggage with his right hand and take a selfie with his left. I'm not sure if he understood me or not, but it was only after he quickly walked away that I registered that my offer might have been construed as an attempt to relieve him of his child.

Luckily, I was still child-free when I ran into several recognizable faces at the gate to my connecting flight to Ordos. SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan was there, along with Townley Hall's Mick Flanagan and the China Horse Club's own Michael Wallace. WinStar's Elliott Walden soon strolled up, as well, and before long there were 15 or 20 international attendees milling about.

It should be a fun, interesting and educational few days with this crew. Check back tomorrow.