Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges

The 2019-2020 racing calendar in Hong Kong was widely referred to as a "season like no other," and with good reason. Racing was threatened first by significant social unrest in and around Hong Kong, on one occasion, at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, no more than a few kilometres from the stables at Sha Tin Racecourse. Having canceled just one meeting due to the protests, the local racing product was later confronted by COVID-19, a pandemic that shut down operations--at least for a time--at the vast majority of worldwide...

As a result of the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the country, all horse racing operations in South Korea will be suspended at least through Mar. 22. Alastair Middleton, an English racecaller for the Korean Racing Authority, reported the news in a tweet Wednesday. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, officials at the KRA announced that racing would cease in the country beginning Friday, Feb. 28 before the situation was reevaluated Mar. 9. A total of 12 meetings (including pony races) at the three KRA-owned facilities were to be canceled. An additional six...

Racing continues Saturday with a 10-race program at Sha Tin, even as the coronavirus outbreak that has its origins in Mainland China is causing some major contingency planning by officials at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Over the last few weeks, attendance at live meetings at Sha Tin in the New Territories to the north and at Happy Valley Racecourse on Hong Kong Island to the south has been restricted to those with pre-existing reservations, with public areas closed. The Chinese New Year racecard at Sha Tin, which normally attracts...