What do most 'non-racing people think of when the words 'racing fan' are mentioned? Firstly, they probably think less 'sports fan' and more 'gambler'. The image of a quintessential Hong Kong 'uncle' comes to mind, newspaper form guide firmly in hand (hopefully The Standard's) - as he scans the fields for the next 'sure win."
The idea that horse racing equals gambling - and that it is a pastime for the elderly - is a stigma the sport must shake, and a raft of initiatives announced by the Hong Kong Jockey| club this week were steps in the right direction.
On Tuesday, the Club showed off the newest developments to Sha Tin Racecourse. The well-lit, atrium-style, high-tech facilties in Champions Connection and Genso Eki are about as far from the stereotypical smoke-filled betting hall as one could imagine.
Old-timers might roll their eyes at the idea that an escape room or an 'Instagrammable' experience including an animatronic horse has anything to do with racing. But the efforts to attract younger people to racecourses and designing facilities with an emphasis on entertainment is a necessary shift - as is the move to create a family-friendly space in the Sha Tin Racecourse infield's Penfold Park called Pony World.
Exhibit A of why the HKJC needs to take initiatives like this can be found in the cautionary tale of the Singapore Turf Club, a racing body blessed with many of the same advantages as Hong Kong and Japan. The demise of racing in Singapore after 180 years holds many lessons for the neighboring jurisdictions it left behind.
By the time Singapore's government read the city's turf club its last rites in October 2024, the sport in Lion City had been left lagging in the past, and in its final years, the racecourse was a desolate ghost town on race days.
A lack of government support and mismanagement were at the heart of Singapore's sad decline, but one of the biggest issues for racing there was its lack of connection with young people and the fact children were not allowed at the track.
Anti-gambling advocates are sure to jump at any suggestion a child should be allowed on a Hong Kong racecourse, but the move to create a space where children can at least see the sport take place is vital to safeguarding its future.
"We have to be very mindful that people still relate gaming and horse racing ... and we have started shaping different perspectives," Jockey Club
CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges told reporters on Tuesday, before sharing his own first exposure of the sport.
"For the long-term future of racing, people have to have an interest in horses and see the beauty of horses. You have to give children an opportunity to be close to horses. That is our plan. We have the infield as a firsthand where we create a family-friendly environment.
"I remember my own experience, what excited me when I was a school-aged child. I went to see racehorses, which for me are the most beautiful, dynamic animals you can find."
Finally, yesterday the Club also announced reform to its whip rules - restricting use of the whip before the final 100 meters of races - but leaving the frantic final stages of a race to the "discretion" of jockeys.
More progress. But as times change and as new people are invited to experience the magnificence of the thoroughbred racehorse, education will be required to ensure they remain allies, if not fans, of the sport. As young people with no prior experience with horses watch horse racing for the first time they might be inclined to ask why there is a whip at all.
