Galloping to success

2022/23 season ends with historical records reinforcing Hong Kong racing’s world-class status

An extraordinary 2022/23 Hong Kong horse racing season ended in remarkable fashion on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse.

The season marked a full return of Hong Kong racing to normalcy after three years of the Covid pandemic. In the first few months after the season opening in September 2022 when Covid restrictions were still in place in the SAR, the Club was able to overcome the challenges with the support of the government to hold one of the first international sport events to resume in Hong Kong – the internationally renowned 2022 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races in December. It saw the participation of over 300 overseas racing participants, with more than 45,000 people flocking to Sha Tin Racecourse and Happy Valley Racecourse to witness Hong Kong horses win three out of four Group 1 races. The success of the event has set a timely and compelling example to the world that Hong Kong is back on the international stage and will continue to excel.

Following the lifting of Covid measures, the Club has responded quickly and effectively to bring local racing fans and mainland visitors back to the racecourses to enjoy not only spectacular racing but also our remarkable racecourse entertainment with the popular Happy Wednesday brand as a highlight. A notable example is that more than 84,000 people attended the Chinese New Year Raceday, the first feature raceday after the full return of Hong Kong to normalcy to kick off the new year.

“What makes Hong Kong’s racing continue during the over three long years of Covid pandemic is resilience. What makes us effectively leverage the reopening opportunity and grasp every chance to further develop and strengthen Hong Kong’s racing is our inimitable ‘can-do’ spirit. I am proud of the determination, efforts and support of a massive group of stakeholders who love racing, including our owners, trainers, jockeys, Club employees and our racing fans,” said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Club CEO.

“I am confident that with the support of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Hong Kong’s racing will continue to play a vital role as the most popular sport in the city as well as an international brand of Hong Kong,” he added.

In the past season, the Club has been working hard to address the challenges brought by the Covid pandemic. The Club understands that our valuable owners’ experience in the racecourses during the most stringent period of Covid pandemic was significantly compromised as their attendance and activities during a race meeting were restricted due to the implementation of stringent public health protection measures. In order to stimulate the owners’ interests in racing, the Club announced record-high prize money and incentives structure of HK$1.73 billion across the 2023/24 season in May. This included an 8 percent rise in the domestic racing prize money pool and an increment to the PP bonus scheme.

Another important highlight of the 2022/23 season is that Conghua Racecourse (CRC) has demonstrated its critical role in supporting Hong Kong’s racing as well as the development of the equine industry in the Greater Bay Area. CRC has fully utilized its state-of-the-art facilities to best accommodate, train and prepare horses to return to Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourse for racing. In the past season, CRC has produced 172 wins by 138 horses. In addition, CRC also realizes the Club’s commitment to horse welfare by providing comprehensive and high-standard medical and caring services to horses through its leading-edge equine hospital, rehabilitation facilities and professional veterinarians and rehabilitation specialists.

Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “The importance of CRC will continue to grow further with the significant work we are undertaking with Sha Tin’s stable refurbishment to meet the future needs of trainers. CRC will also serve as the center stage of international-standard racing in the mainland, starting from the first race meeting in 2026 with the establishment of an iconic Grand Stand enabling visitors from all fronts to enjoy and experience Hong Kong’s world-class racing.”

The Club closed out the season’s 88th and final meeting, including seven Twilight fixtures, with a total of  835 Hong Kong races and 299 overseas simulcast races and posted turnover of HK$141.1 billion, representing a slight 0.5 percent increase over last season. The total turnover of the season finale meeting reached HK$2.065 billion, an increase of 1.3% year-on-year. This also marks a double record-high for a season finale and a single race meeting after the establishment of the HKSAR in 1997.

Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “Under such a challenging economic situation, our overall season racing turnover of HK$141.1 billion is very satisfactory. The strength of the turnover reflects the quality of our products and the ongoing support of our customers. However, we will stay vigilant as there will be significant challenges from offshore bookmakers following the reopening of borders and also illegal bookmakers. To ensure our racing will stay competitive and maintain its world-class status, we will re-invest in racecourse assets and enhance customer experience. We will also grasp the unique development opportunity in the GBA under the ‘One Country, Two Systems’ principle. After all, the Club is acting for the betterment of society. All we do is to contribute more to our community with a strategic focus that best meets the needs of Hong Kong people.”