140 Years of Racing Excellence
How it all began
In the autumn of 1884, a group of 34 like-minded enthusiasts channelled their passion for horse racing into the founding of a members' club. Despite the simple setting — a basic racetrack bolstered by a few wooden stands situated on what had previously been a patch of marshland — this decision would be momentous. For the former marsh was none other than Happy Valley, Hong Kong.
The mightiest of giants have humble beginnings and 140 years later, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) is now amongst the world’s leading racing organisations.
Unrecognisable from its original state, Happy Valley is now home to one of the world’s most iconic sports entertainment venues, drawing thousands of racegoers to its race meetings weekly.
For example, the 2023 International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) during the Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) week returned to pre- COVID-19 levels with almost 20,000 people in attendance. The crowd erupted in cheers as local hero Vincent Ho (on now-legendary horse Golden Sixty) became the first home-grown jockey to win the IJC, marking another memorable milestone in Hong Kong’s racing development.
On the course to success
The success and growth of racing in Hong Kong led to the creation of a new racing venue in the city. In 1978, the Club opened the doors to the city's second racecourse in Sha Tin, which would also act as a home and training centre for the city's steeds.
The success and growth of racing in Hong Kong led to the
creation of a new racing venue in the city. In 1978, the Club
opened the doors to the city's second racecourse in Sha
Tin, which would also act as a home and training centre
for the city's steeds.
Just like Happy Valley, Sha Tin Racecourse would gain a
world-class reputation quickly, becoming the home of the
Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) a decade later,
starting with the first Hong Kong Invitation Cup in 1988.
In recent years, the HKIR has often drawn upwards of
80,000 racegoers from around the world.
World-class excellence
Today, LONGINES Hong Kong International Races are globally recognised events, broadcast to more than 40 regions and countries, and shining a spotlight on Hong Kong racing excellence. With each of the four races holding Group 1 status, they have become renowned as the "Turf World Championships". Over the season, Hong Kong now hosts 31 International Group races, with 12 of them at Group 1 level. Of those 12 races, eight are currently counted among the top 100 Group 1 races globally.
Today, the four LONGINES Hong Kong International Races
are globally recognised events, broadcast to more than
40 regions and countries, and shining a spotlight on
Hong Kong racing excellence. With each of the four races
holding Group 1 status, they have become renowned as the
"Turf World Championships". Over the season, Hong Kong now hosts 31 International Group races, with 12 of them at Group 1 level. Of those 12 races, eight are currently counted among the top 100 Group 1 races globally.
The success of Hong Kong racing is clearly visible in
the globally regarded quality of its horses,
participants and races. Despite having less than 0.7 percent of the world's racehorses in training and playing
host to 0.8 percent of the world's races, Hong Kong
horses and races regularly feature among the world's
finest.
In the annual edition of the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings for 2024, Romantic Warrior ranked among the top five.
Legendary horses
Champion jockeys
These high standards will continue to be met and raised by the exceptional people who put their passion into racing.
These high standards will continue to be met and raised by
the exceptional people who put their passion into
racing.
Besides developing its own champions such as Vincent Ho,
Hong Kong has attracted a high number of elite
international jockeys to its tracks. Other names
recognised instantly by racegoers include Basil Marcus,
Douglas Whyte, Zac Purton, and João Moreira. While celebrating their wins, fans have immensely enjoyed following their journeys and the dramas of their rivalries. During the 2024/25 Racing Season, Purton set a new record by becoming the jockey with over 1,813 career wins, the highest number in Hong Kong history.
Then there are the homegrown iconic jockeys turned
champion trainers such as Tony Cruz, Ricky Yiu, Francis
Lui and Frankie Lor, with Cruz's namesake annual award
representing the very best in local riding excellence. In
addition to other household names such as Danny Shum and
Pierre Ng, these top trainers are cultivating the next
crop of racing winners.
Hong Kong draws the best riders, and in turn the best
riders make Hong Kong a draw for racing fans around the
world.
Solidifying global racing leadership
The Club's Chief Executive Officer, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges is Chair of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) , the global leader of the sport of thoroughbred racing, and Chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), which comprises 29 national racing authorities and racing-related organisations from across Asia, Oceania, Africa and the Middle East.
The Club's Chief Executive Officer, Winfried
Engelbrecht-Bresges is Chair of the International
Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the global
leader of the sport of thoroughbred racing, and Chairman
of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), which comprises 29
national racing authorities and racing-related
organisations from across Asia, Oceania, Africa and the
Middle East.
The Club's ongoing contributions and commitment to ARF
and IFHA help develop international harmonisation among
racing organisations, promoting good regulation and best
practice internationally.
The Hong Kong administrative structure for racing is one of the most enviable in the world.
The Club's expert Stipendiary Stewards, supported by its unique betting integrity analysis capability and expert regulatory veterinarians, ensure the strongest possible controls are implemented for competitive and safe racing. The Stewarding panel closely monitors each race for potential breaches of the Rules of Racing, aided by state-of-the-art technology.
To maintain confidence in the sport, upholding the integrity of racing is paramount. Strict protocols have been developed over the years to ensure that horses are protected from practices that may cause them harm and to promote the highest standards in equine welfare. These protocols are enforced by an independent team of regulatory vets.
The Racing Laboratory, one of the six Reference Laboratories appointed by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, conducts pre-race, post-race and in-training testing of blood, urine and hair samples to check for the presence of prohibited substances in horses or jockeys.
The Racing Laboratory is internationally recognised for the quality of its work and has never reported a "false positive" finding in official samples since its establishment in 1970. Hong Kong's post-race positive results are over ten times lower than the global average.
Bringing the joy of racing to the Mainland
Hong Kong's status as the hub for top-tier racing in the Greater Bay Area will only increase as it continues to expand.
Hong Kong's status as the hub for top-tier racing in the
Greater Bay Area will only increase as it continues to
expand.
The Club supported the equestrian events of not only the
2008 Beijing Olympics, which were held in Hong Kong, but
also the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games and the 2022 Hangzhou
Asian Games.
In 2018, the Club opened its Conghua Racecourse (CRC), the
Mainland's first international standard racecourse. The
CRC's state-of-the-art stables and rest paddocks provide
an unparalleled environment for our horses. World-class
veterinary and therapeutic resources are available to
ensure optimal care.
From Season 2025/26 onwards, there will be regular race
meetings rostered in Conghua, which will establish a
triangle of racing with Sha Tin and Happy Valley
Racecourses.
Caring for our equine friends
The Club maintains an unwavering commitment to the care of its horses and to developing protocols that reduce risks to their welfare. These improvements depend on new knowledge gained from high-quality scientific study, providing the drive to establish the HKJC Equine Welfare Research Foundation in 2020.
The Club maintains an unwavering commitment to the care of its horses and to developing protocols that reduce risks to their welfare. These improvements depend on new knowledge gained from high-quality scientific study, providing the drive to establish the HKJC Equine Welfare Research Foundation in 2020.
Following a donation of HK$600 million by the Club, the Foundation is able to encourage and fund
scientific research by teams around the world into issues that impact the quality of life of thoroughbred racehorses, both while in training and in retirement.
The Foundation has so far awarded HK$28 million to researchers studying topics ranging from how to reduce the risk of fractures to methods of determining what makes horses happy.
Beyond racing careers
The Club's retired horse programme has been in operation since 1964 when Beas River Equestrian Centre (BREC) was established as a home for retired horses. This has expanded under the RESTART Programme to include the retired horse unit in Conghua Racecourse, in addition to the already established Retraining Unit at BREC.
The Club's retired horse programme has been in operation
since 1964 when Beas River Equestrian Centre (BREC) was
established as a home for retired horses. This has
expanded under the RESTART Programme to include the
retired horse unit in Conghua Racecourse, in addition to
the already established Retraining Unit at BREC.
RESTART is developing relationships with overseas racing
jurisdictions and aftercare providers to establish clear
communication channels for tracking and tracing retired
racehorses and provide a network of facilities to
transition horses to second careers or retirement. The
Club is also able to action an Emergency Welfare Protocol
for horses requiring assistance with the aid of local
governing bodies and jurisdictions.
The Club was the first racing jurisdiction to require
owners to commit a sum of money to a horse's retirement
prior to importing the horse into Hong Kong to race.
What this means for Hong Kong
If there is a lesson to be taken from Hong Kong's claim to racing excellence, it is the power of community — one that was sparked by those 34 enthusiasts back in 1884. Today the power of community and togetherness has grown by an immeasurable amount, with bonds strengthening between the Club and its members, as well as between the Club and the city of Hong Kong.
If there is a lesson to be taken from Hong Kong's claim to
racing excellence, it is the power of community — one that
was sparked by those 34 enthusiasts back in 1884. Today
the power of community and togetherness has grown by an
immeasurable amount, with bonds strengthening between the Club
and its members, as well as between the Club and the city of Hong Kong.
The Club operates a unique integrated business model that
channels existing
wagering demand for the good
of the community, by combining top-tier racing and
racecourse entertainment, a membership club, and responsible
sports betting and lottery, as well as charitable
initiatives and community engagement. This not-for-profit model encompasses these four interconnected sectors, all
with the goal of benefitting the people of Hong Kong
through ongoing donations and tax contributions.
As Hong Kong continues to thrive, so too will the Club's
support of the city’s people through its charitable efforts and by
providing joy and entertainment through pure racing
excellence. It has done so for 140 years and will for many
more.
