The Meydan Group and the Dubai Racing Club will stage an historic one-day race meeting on April 6 in Chengdu.
The meeting at the Jinma Racecourse will consist of five turf races, featuring the 2,200-meters Chengdu Dubai International Cup and the 1,600-meters Wenjiang Meydan Classic, both presented by Longines.Also on the card are the Meydan Mile, the 1,400-meters Guangsha Handicap and the 1,200-meters Wejnjiang Sprint.
The Chengdu meeting originally was announced last spring, to be run in October of 2013, and required resolution of a myriad of details of shipping, quarantine and other regulatory issues. Horses will be shipped from the United Arab Emriates to Chengdu for the races, then returned to the UAE, making this the first race meeting conducted in mainland China to feature international horses undergoing both import and export quarantine procedures. Jockeys and trainers from Dubai will participate in the event. “This is an exciting strategic partnership that we have entered into to assist the Chinese authorities in developing the sport of Thoroughbred racing,” said Malih Al Basti, Meydan Group Board Member and chairman of the Meydan Racing Committee.
The races will be a new high-water mark in efforts to bring racing to mainland China. Sporadic earlier efforts have come to nothing.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club, however, has a long-term development plan for a training facility on the mainland and could be a player if the sport gains traction with the authorities in Bejing and regional governments. While quarantine regulations have been a major hurdle, other issues remain, including regulation, legalization of wagering and infrastructure.
