Did you know that the ideal grass height for a horse racing track is four inches? Kiki Lau, Senior Manager of Tracks (Turf) at The Hong Kong Jockey Club, along with a dedicated team of over a hundred professionals, works tirelessly to maintain this standard and ensure the racing tracks are in world-class condition.

We focus on maintaining the health of the turf tracks, which includes regular repairs of the grass, fertilisation, watering, pest control, and soil quality testing.

I have a deep emotional connection with the turf because it represents the collective hard work and dedication of our entire team over the years. We are genuinely happy when the grass grows in a healthy manner, and we do get upset when its condition falls short of the ideal standard. But regardless of how we feel, we always pick ourselves up and continue to take the best possible care of it.

One can't assume that the turf simply recovers on its own after a race, and is ready for the next race day. Every race day, our team puts in a lot of effort to maintain the track's quality. For example, during the 30-minute gaps between races, we have at least 50 staff members around the track making quick repairs. After each race day, it takes dozens of our team members to fully repair the track over the course of the week.

A good track must be safe, fair for all competitors and kind to the horses, which is our top priority for the 88 races held annually at the Sha Tin and Happy Valley Racecourses. Besides safety, we also want to make sure that the track always appears beautiful and lush from a distance.

Since many of our races are already considered world-class, moving forward, I hope to see our turf tracks attract more elite racehorses to compete on them. My aspiration is to set the perfect stage where the world's top racehorses can make history on our tracks.