HKJC CEO Blog

Last Sunday, in the three Cathay Pacific Jockey Club races, we saw a glimpse of some of the major local contenders ahead of our December internationals.  But intriguingly these three Group 2 events may have raised more questions than they answered, as all three of the heavily-backed favourites – Entrapment, Ambitious Dragon and California Memory…

On Tuesday, the German national football team defeated another European powerhouse the Netherlands, winning 3-0 in a friendly match held in Hamburg.  Having watched the match highlights, I must say the team played quite well.  In particular, I'd pick out striker Miroslav Klose, who produced an industrious, all-round performance for his team in the front…

Yesterday, I learnt the very sad news that our veteran Owner Mrs Cynthia Pong passed away on Monday.  Mrs Pong had been a staunch supporter of Hong Kong racing for decades and owned at least a dozen racehorses over the years, many of them carrying names involving “iron” or “steel” in recognition of the family…

Our racing season has now been under way for two months and we’re now moving towards the first climax of the racing season, as our annual “Turf World Championships”, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races, will be held in just under a month's time on 11 December.  Over the past fortnight, both the local…

Racing has always been a very competitive sport and it’s not easy for any trainer or jockey to stay at the top of the game for more than a few years, let alone for a quarter of a century.  In Hong Kong racing, I think trainer John Moore is one of the few who can…

If you were watching our simulcast of the Melbourne Cup last Tuesday, you will have witnessed an absolutely thrilling finish, in fact the closest finish in the 151-year history of this top Australian race.  The margin by which French contender Dunaden was eventually declared winner over British-trained Red Cadeaux was no more than a few…

On Sunday we staged back-to-back HKG2 events at Sha Tin, with Rich Unicorn winning the sprint event, the Premier Bowl, and California Memory emerging the victor of the Sha Tin Trophy over the metric mile.  In the former race I suppose some racing fans would have been a bit saddened to see Entrapment finishing third…

A couple of high-profile unbeaten horses have emerged on the international racing scene in the past year or so, quickly developing almost superstar status among racing fans worldwide.  One is Australian sprinter Black Caviar, whom we were able to watch on our Hong Kong simulcast last Saturday as she extended her winning streak to 15…

Over the past week, a big talking point in European racing is the British Horseracing Authority's introduction of stringent new rules on use of the whip, a decision that has generated so much controversy that the BHA has already had to agree to amendments.  The original rule, brought in about three weeks ago, limited jockeys’…

Earlier this week, we announced a decision to issue short-term Club Jockey licences to three overseas riders, so that Hong Kong racing can benefit from their skills during the European winter season.  Top British jockey Neil Callan, who has so far ridden 95 winners in the UK this year, will be the first to arrive…