Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) reported record commingling turnover of HK$28.8 billion as the 2023/24 season concluded at Sha Tin on Sunday, with 26 countries and more than 70 partners now commingling on Hong Kong racing. That total represented a 13.7% increase on the 2022/23 season, while overall turnover on simulcasting for the season was also up by 8.7% to HK$12.8 billion as Hong Kong continued to offer wagering on the very best of world racing through the World Pool. This year the number of World Pool races increased from...

World Pool's globally commingled pools will be in operation in Britain, Germany and South Africa this weekend, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Friday. The G1 Durban July and G1 Garden Province Stakes are both World Pool races at Greyville in South Africa on Saturday for the first time, while the G1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes returns to the World Pool fold at Sandown later that same day. Hamburg Racecourse in Germany will feature the G1 Deutsches Derby and three other races on the card on Sunday--the G3 Hamburger Stutenpreis,...

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) Global Summit on Equine Safety and Technology took place at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada June 12-14. The Summit was attended by approximately 90 international research scientists, clinicians, veterinarians and racing regulators from at least 13 countries. "The Summit has been a major achievement for the Federation and our ongoing commitment to improving equine safety and welfare," said IFHA Executive Council Member Jim Lawson, who delivered the Summit's closing remarks. "Scientific research and technology are cornerstones of the IFHA's efforts to protect our...

Former UK-based jockeys Andrea Atzeni and Harry Bentley have once again been granted licences by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) for the upcoming season. Atzeni is currently ranked fourth during the 2023/2024 season with 44 wins, and Bentley is enjoying his best season in Hong Kong with 34 winners. Atzeni said, "I've had a fantastic time in Hong Kong. To be in the top five of the jockeys' championship for most of the season, to win two group races, and to be on 44 winners, was definitely more than...

Saturday's fixtures at Epsom in Britain and Eagle Farm in Australia have set a new record for World Pool turnover, with 12 races across the two racedays generating HK$385.2 million (approx. £38.7m/A$74.2m). The previous record for a 12-race composite card came in March of this year when World Pool offered eight races on Dubai World Cup night, alongside two races each from Tancred S. Day and Australian Cup Day, which saw turnover from World Pool bet types of HK$378.1 million (£38m/A$72.6m). The G1 Derby at Epsom itself saw notable growth...

A plan was hatched by owner Peter Lau and trainer Danny Shum as early as last June to set their multiple champion Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) on a course towards the G1 W S Cox Plate in Melbourne some four months later. Having departed Hong Kong in mid-September, the gelding endured a sub-optimal period in quarantine at Werribee until the Australian government approved the shipment of his regular feed from Hong Kong to Victoria and Romantic Warrior was an underdone fourth in the G1 Turnbull S. at Caulfield Oct....

Godolphin's Rebel's Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and the Coolmore partners' Tower Of London (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) have both been entered in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Sunday, May 26, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) revealed on Tuesday. The pair are the only overseas entrants in the 2400-metre contest, which is the final Group 1 of the Hong Kong season with a purse of HK$13 million (£1.3 million). Both horses are also coming off of victories on Dubai World Cup...

The World Pool UK & Ireland Jockeys' Championship, a brand new £50,000 initiative, is being launched as World Pool makes its UK seasonal bow at Newmarket Racecourse on Saturday, May 4. The initiative will see jockeys compete to accumulate points across World Pool fixtures in the UK and Ireland. For the winning jockey of every World Pool race in the UK and Ireland, points will be awarded based on the World Pool win dividend. The point system is designed to offer a level playing field for all jockeys. Beginning with...

Despite rainfall in excess of 250 millimetres, or nearly 10 inches, during the week, Sunday's FWD Champions Day meeting came off without a hitch, as local horses took home the lion's share of the HK$72 million on offer. "They did an extraordinary job, with these types of weather conditions, the ground was extremely fair and it enabled all the horses to participate," HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said of the track maintenance team. "Nobody could believe that with over 250mm of rain how well our track performed and provided fair going...

A new Hong Kong Garden will be in place at Newbury Racecourse when the track hosts five World Pool races on Saturday, May 18, including the G1 Al Shaqab Lockinge S. which headlines the fixture. The Hong Kong Garden will offer themed food and drink, plus a range of entertainment including live performances from Albert Chau, the inaugural winner of Midlife, Sing and Shine, a talent competition run on terrestrial TV in Hong Kong. Mark Leigh, interim CEO at Newbury Racecourse, said, "We're thrilled to introduce the new Hong Kong...

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) plans to invest HK$140 million in an attempt to significantly lower the cost of ownership in the jurisdiction, the organisation announced on Thursday. In 2024/25, the basic monthly livery fee for horses in training will be cut by 22%, from HK$38,200 (around €4,544) to HK$30,000 (€3,568), which translates to an annualised reduction of HK$98,400 (€11,704) per horse. In addition, during the first four months after the arrival of a new horse import, the basic monthly livery fee will be further reduced by HK$5,000 to...

Chan Kam Hung's Massive Sovereign (Ire) (No Nay Never--Sweet Charity {Fr}, by Myboycharlie {Ire}) continued his Hong Kong progression in stirring fashion with a come-from-behind victory under Zac Purton in the HK$26,000,000 BMW Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin on Sunday. The time of 1:59.85 was a new record for the race since the distance was changed to 2000 metres in 2000, with Massive Sovereign bettering the mark of Hong Kong phenom Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro)'s 2:00.15 set in 2020. The winner's neck defeat of the Group 1-placed Galaxy...