At the moment, the order of priorities is the World Cup, the Six Nations, European rugby and domestic rugby."Pickering is not alone in questioning whether a British league is even desirable, let alone practical. Overloading the players is not the way to achieve that objective. "A review is taking place at the moment and it has many facets, but the most important guys in the whole debate are the players and I am particularly concerned that we are asking too much of them."In an already crowded season, I do not see how a British league could be injected. Even if the players said they could play 45 games a season, I'm not sure the supporters would go for it."We have to put ourselves in a position where a northern hemisphere team can win the World Cup in Australia in 2003, where we can have a good representation at the semi-final stages. Roger Pickering, the chief executive of the first body and tournament director of the second, cast serious doubt over the proposed new venture yesterday, thereby ensuring that, in Monty Python terms, we are in for the full half-hour argument rather than the five-minute version. "I have my reservations about a British league," pronounced Pickering during a Heineken Cup forum in Glasgow. It comes as no surprise, then, that the Six Nations Committee and European Rugby Cup Ltd should involve themselves in the Great British League Debate. NOTHING EVER happens in rugby union without the world and his dog having a say in the matter; if recent rumours are to be believed, the International Board is setting up a committee purely to discuss the latest designs for players' jockstraps.

Rehabilitation, though, has almost been completed and there would be no greater sight than Alston doffing his trademark feathered hat on Sunday in front of the popping bulbs.. The seven-year- old travelled over most satisfactorily but his trainer was confined to quarters for 48 hours with jet lag. Both are represented in the sprint - a race for Orient Expresses - by Tedburrow and Rudi's Pet respectively.There is, however, an acclimatisation problem in the Tedburrow camp. It is a warm sensation to be in the company of men of the North like Eric Alston and David Nicholls. It must have been a struggle to get it home.This is a strange environment even for some of our more bloated participants, so heaven knows what it means to the travelling artisans. Last year two punters got it to a HK$5 bet (60p) and collected about pounds 6m each. Last year they donated over HK$1bn (over pounds 80m) to charity.

This makes it the largest charity donor in Hong Kong and one of the biggest in the world.The most popular bet is the Quinella (a dual forecast) and the most speculative the Triple Trio - the conundrum of providing the first, second and third in any order in three designated races It's not easy, but at least you don't have to work again. There is pool betting on course at Happy Valley and Sha Tin, telephone accounts, 125 off-course betting branches and 82,000 Customer Input Terminals (CITS), hand-held betting devices that are used in conjunction with mobile phones.The turnover generated is fabulous The HKJC is a non-profit-making organisation. There is probably no betting shop in Britain which has not been frequented by a Chinese punter and this is not a habit they pick up on their travels.The serious players have not strayed, though, and they ensure that the Hong Kong Jockey Club is an enormously successful organisation.Bookmaking is illegal here and the pari-mutuel set-up is enough to make Tote proponents elsewhere weep. If there is one seat in a top restaurant remaining it will go to a jockey in preference to a movie star.Riders here can make themselves, and others, a lot of money. "You can earn more in one winter in Hong Kong than you can in five or six years in England," Fallon says.