There was racing, dancing, fireworks and merry making at Happy Valley Racecourse last Wednesday night as the season finale race meeting concluded one of the greatest chapters in Hong Kong racing history.

To complement the exciting racing action, The Hong Kong Jockey Club once again organised an array of entertainment for the huge crowd of enthusiastic racegoers. This included a performance by vocal and dance star Rechelle on the Beer Garden stage and Latino rhythms and samba dancing between races. A spectacular pyrotechnic show lit up the sky, while a jockeys’ parade saw the Club’s top-class riders hand out mini-horse plushies to thank fans for their support.

Total racecourse attendance for the season was over 1.7 million, including record numbers of Mainland and overseas tourists. Mainland racegoers numbered 195,786, representing a 110% increase over the previous season.

The HKSAR Chief Executive’s recognition of horse racing tourism in his Policy Address created momentum for the Club, as did the incorporation of racing tourism in Hong Kong Tourism Board’s development blueprint and a partnership between the Club and China Travel Service (Holdings) Hong Kong Limited to strengthen the promotion of tourism within the Greater Bay Area, including racecourse tourism.

Of course, none of this would be possible without Hong Kong racing’s world-class jockeys, trainers and horses. The feats of three extraordinary horses in particular – Ka Ying Rising, Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble – elevated Hong Kong racing onto an even higher plane. Hong Kong horses won 11 of the world’s top Group 1 races in 2024/25, while eight of the city’s races were included in the world’s top 100 Group 1 races in 2024.

All these achievements strengthen the position of Hong Kong racing as a world-class sport and entertainment experience. They also contribute greatly to Hong Kong tourism and underline the city’s role as a centre for East-West exchange.

Extraordinary season sees Hong Kong’s horse racing shine on the global stage