HKJC CEO Blog

After months of meticulous planning, final preparations for the $24 million Hong Kong Derby (2000m) at Sha Tin this Sunday (19 March) are well and truly underway for the race revered in this city for its ‘Once in a lifetime glory.’ The BMW Hong Kong Derby is the race every owner in Hong Kong strives…

The pursuit of excellence is at the core of all Hong Kong Jockey Club operations and the decision of the Club’s Licensing Committee to announce Mark Newnham as a new trainer for the start of the 2023/24 season is an example of our mindset. At 55, Mark brings considerable experience and expertise after a long…

A cursory glance at the 2022/23 Hong Kong trainers’ championship again reveals the timeless value of enduring skill and experience.  After 50 meetings and 473 races, the top seven places in a congested battle for this season’s title are occupied either by previous winners of the championship – John Size (41 wins), Ricky Yiu (37),…

As we prepare to stage the 50th meeting of what has been a wonderful season of world-class competition, the Club is faced with significant challenges away from the track.  In the 2023-24 Budget, the Hong Kong Government announced a Special Football Betting Duty (SFBD) which requires the Club to pay an extra HK$2.4 billion annually…

These are exciting times in Hong Kong horse racing. Not only have we witnessed a great champion reasserting his dominance over the past two months with Golden Sixty’s two wonderful Group 1 wins, but we have also seen the emergence of a potential new star in Beauty Eternal.  The cheers that rang out over Sha…

Today at Sha Tin, we are privileged to have Golden Sixty and Romantic Warrior – who are both among the highest-ranked horses in the world – squaring again off in the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup over 2000m in the second leg of Hong Kong’s Triple Crown Series, which culminates in the G1 Standard…

World-class meetings on two continents today form an exciting Simulcast programme with action coming from Randwick Racecourse in Sydney with Chipping Norton Stakes Day and then King Abdulaziz Racecourse in Riyadh for the Saudi Cup, the world’s richest horse race.  While the Randwick meeting is not yet part of World Pool, international racing purists will…

Winning away from home is widely accepted to be the most difficult of challenges, regardless of sport. Similarly in horseracing, succeeding on the road is the ultimate test of horse, trainer and jockey.  Not all horses are suited to competing abroad but last weekend, Hong Kong’s Champion Stayer Russian Emperor overcame the tyranny of travel,…

The 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Melbourne over the past week was a huge success because it not only highlighted the challenges and opportunities currently facing racing, but it also opened our eyes to the future.  Across 11 business programme sessions and several bureau meetings, the ARC featured 50 passionate and inspiring speakers from…

The 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Melbourne is not only very significant, it is also a priceless opportunity for the international horseracing racing community to collaborate, learn and advance. As it did with so many other things in our lives, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted ARC scheduling and prevented us from meeting in Melbourne last…