Pulsating Season Finale points to prosperous times ahead

By Michael Cox 

When was Hong Kong racing’s golden era? The queue to get into Happy Valley Racecourse and the fans that crammed in for an electrifying Season Finale suggested the Jockey Club is steering the sport into a new period of prosperity. 

The stream of fans that stretched up Shan Kwong Road and around Wong Nai Chung Road to the tram terminus and flowed into the iconic course countered the idea that horse racing’s heyday had long since passed. 

Once inside the iconic venue, the capacity crowd of more than 25,000 buzzed on a night that produced sporting drama and huge wagering figures. 

Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges declared the Season Finale the “best ever” meeting hosted at Happy Valley, pointing to not only the electric atmosphere generated by the youthful crowd but the on-track competition that had them on the edge of their seats. 

“This was the best-ever race meeting we have had at the Valley,” he said. “Everything came together – the sporting drama, the entertainment, the crowd – Happy Valley is magic to me and tonight the magic became reality.” 

The jockeys’ and trainers’ championship had both been secured before the final meeting but the Tony Cruz Award for leading local rider for the season came down to the wire – Matthew Poon Ming-fai winning on count-back over Derek Leung Ka-chun after they were tied on 36 wins for the term, just one win ahead of Matthew Chadwick.

“The sporting drama of coming down to the last race and requiring a countback for third was amazing,” Engelbrecht-Bgesges said. “If you look at everything from a sporting perspective, it is everything you could ask for and more.” 

The Jockey Club’s push for horse racing to be recognised as a sport and not simply a betting medium has clearly paid off and among the crowd were 4,700 tourists, including 2,800 from mainland China. 

That emphasis on promoting Hong Kong racing as a world class sport hasn’t diminished the ever-important betting turnover – in fact it may be fuelling it further. 

Total turnover on the meeting reached more than $1.6 billion, including a remarkable final race surge of more than $296 million. 

The handle for Wednesday night’s meeting represented a 25% increase in total turnover compared to last season’s final meeting at Happy Valley, including a more than 40 percent in bets from overseas customers via commingling. 

“It was incredibly gratifying and satisfying for our team when you plan for a long time together, you see this come together,” the CEO said. “If you look at the dedication from the team from the tracks to the stables, I can say that I am proud to be part of such a team.”