Records fall as home team dominates a thrilling international raceday at Sha Tin

The Hong Kong Jockey Club staged another outstanding edition of its LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) at ShaTin on Sunday with the Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Winfried Engelbrecht- Bresges, hailing the event as “one of the greatest days of Hong Kong racing”.

Four Group 1 contests on the racecard pitted 45 locally trained and overseas horses - 20 Group 1 winners among them - against each other in thrilling contests as excited race-goers cheered them on. For the second consecutive year, Hong Kong’s “three heavenly kings” – Ka Ying Rising, Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble – dominated the event to claim elite-level glory, while Sosie triumphed in the fourth Group 1 contest for the visiting brigade.

Ka Ying Rising dramatically underlined his status as the world’s top sprinter by taking the LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint. Voyage Bubble won his sixth Group 1 with victory in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, while Romantic Warrior made history by winning the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup for a record fourth time.

The racing action was preceded by a performance from international K-pop sensation RAIN at the parade ring, bookmarked by a set from international pop group Now United, underscoring the Club’s vision of becoming a global sports and entertainment band.

The raceday was watched live by a global audience of millions across over 40 countries and territories, while an all-time single-day high tourist attendance contributed substantially to Hong Kong’s tourist economy.

“Today was, in our view, a very, very special day where we saw tremendous sport. We are really proud that we attracted a record number of international and Chinese Mainland visitors of 13,370, double last season’s HKIR,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said after the races. This season alone, the total number of tourists visiting Sha Tin Racecourse has been more than 110,000 to date, he added.