An encouraging surge in visitors – led by a sharp rise in mainland tourists – helped the Hong Kong Jockey Club ring in the New Year on a positive note at Sha Tin.
The Club’s “Lucky Start January 1” meeting attracted 49,156 racegoers, a 14-percent increase on last year’s crowd of around 43,000. Most striking was the growth in mainland attendance, with 8,250 mainland tourists entering the racecourse – double the 4,120 recorded at the same meeting last year.
Betting turnover also reflected the upbeat mood, reaching HK$1.713 billion, a four-percent rise year on year and a strong opening to 2026.
Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said the response from visitors, particularly those experiencing Hong Kong racing for the first time, had been overwhelmingly positive.
“The reaction from all the people who come to the races has been extremely positive,” he said. “The feedback is that this is an amazing experience and that they appreciate the support racing provides to the community and the different experiences at the racecourse. I think we’re on the right track.”
With the Year of the Horse approaching, Engelbrecht-Bresges confirmed the Club is preparing an expanded celebration that will lean into racing’s cultural and community significance.
“The plan is a significant celebration,” he said. “We’re fine-tuning it next week and will then make an announcement. What we always do for Chinese New Year will be there, but this is also a unique opportunity for horse racing as a sport, and to show the impact horses have on the Hong Kong community. There will be a lot of festivities around it.”
On the track, trainer David Hayes captured the feature race of the day, the G3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup, with Storm Rider, but his attention was already turning to a bigger target later in the month.
Hayes confirmed that sprint star Ka Ying Rising will soon return from the Club’s mainland training center in Conghua, near Guangzhou, as he builds toward the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin on January 25.
A victory in that race would see Ka Ying Rising draw level with Silent Witness’s record streak of 17 consecutive wins, one of the most celebrated achievements in Hong Kong racing history.
