The Hong Kong Jockey Club is seriously considering a step-up to 12-race meetings at Sha Tin to alleviate the oversupply of Class 3 and 4 horses.
HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said the build-up of horses unable to secure starts has become a programming issue, with reserve lists for mid-tier races regularly overflowing. With government limits preventing the club from simply adding extra fixtures, he said the answer must come within the existing schedule, and an expanded Sha Tin card is now firmly on the table.
“Twelve races seem to be feasible,” Engelbrecht-Bresges told reporters after Sunday’s meeting. “We’ve got some opportunity to go to some 11-race cards first, but we have to seriously consider it.”
The CEO stressed any increase would be managed carefully to avoid diluting race quality or turnover. Suggestions of splitting Class 4 contests into three or four divisions were rejected as counterproductive, with Engelbrecht-Bresges warning that extra sections would thin out fields and weaken form lines. Instead, the club will examine the depth of each class and the makeup of reserve lists, including whether a return of maiden or newcomer races could absorb unraced horses without fragmenting established grades.
He also ruled out a dirt-race expansion as a solution. While all-weather racing remains a necessary support Hong Kong's two turf tracks, he said Hong Kong’s product is built on elite turf competition and historically dirt cards have lagged in betting.
Sunday’s crowd of 16,598 – bolstered by more than 3,300 tourists – was a pleasant surprise one week out from the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, with the traditionally low-key mixed turf and all-weather fixture drawing strong early interest.
“For a bread-and-butter meeting, that’s a solid crowd – it’s very positive,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
