Footballing superstar David Beckham brought an extra buzz to Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday night as the first of the Jockey Club's "Racing with Football" meetings in partnership with Lenovo kicked off.
Beckham spent more than ten minutes greeting lucky fans who had gathered near the Beer Garden to greet one of the best known athletes in the world. The former England, Manchester United and Real Madrid great then met with Jockey Club officials, including club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, as well as jockey Hugh Bowman as he caught some of the on-track action. Beckham then took a walk through Lenovo's booth which featured examples of the company's cutting edge AI-driven technology tools.
The Lenovo display, which will be in the Beer Garden at Happy Valley meetings through the FIFA World Cup, also featured an AI-powered "virtual selfie booth" in which fans who missed out on a pic with "Becks" in person could get a digital keepsake of the evening.
The former footballer's many Hong Kong fans were out in force, including Brian, who was wearing his Beckham shirt and had not seen his hero in the flesh since 2008. "I saw him when he came to Hong Kong when he was playing with the LA Galaxy," Brian said. "I wasn't able to get an autograph tonight but it was great to see him in person, he still looks fit and is always very good to his fans."
It wasn't just local fans who got a thrill of seeing the celebrity in the flesh: tourist couple Dixon and Jocelyn, visiting from Malaysia, got a pleasant surprise when they saw Beckham. "We didn't know he would be here – we just wanted to check out the horse racing when we were in town and when we saw David Beckham on the big screen we thought it was a pre-recorded segment," Dixon said. "So when we realized it was David Beckham in the flesh, it was exciting."
The appearance came as the Jockey Club launched its landmark Home of Football campaign, timed to the start of the world's largest football showcase. The initiative aims to elevate sports entertainment and fan engagement across the Club's flagship racing and entertainment platforms, including the popular Happy Wednesday series at Happy Valley.
"Racing with Football" combines Hong Kong's world-class racing with the global passion of football, bringing football-themed entertainment, exclusive fan experiences and special race-day activations to Happy Valley throughout the tournament, with limited-edition merchandise available at the on-course Gift at Races store. Lenovo, Official Technology Partner of FIFA World Cup 2026™, will present its immersive Experience Booth – an AI-powered football zone – with Hong Kong the only city outside the tournament's host regions where fans can enjoy the experience. A special race themed around "Racing with Football" will be held on 8 July.
