After a glorious season finale with 30 000 people on course on 14 July, the new Hong Kong racing season will kick off at Sha Tin on 8 September.
Total racing wagering turnover for last season was HK$134.7 billion, representing a 4.5% decrease on the 2022/23 season.
Plenty of action again in the forthcoming season (Pic – Candiese Lenferna)
Here, although the Hong Kong market was impacted significantly by the economic downturn, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s strategy to expand its customer base globally has partially offset the loss, with Hong Kong races attracting record commingling turnover of HK28.8 billion, a 13.7% increase on the 2022/23 season.
From a pool of only 1200 horses in training – or about 0.7% of the world’s racehorse population – Hong Kong achieved unprecedented success on the international stage with victories in 13 of the world’s top Group 1 races.
For the first time last season, all 12 of Hong Kong’s top-level races featured in the LONGINES World’s Top 100 Group/Grade 1 Races for 2023, with four in the top 20.
Also, for the first time, four of Hong Kong’s elite racing stars – Golden Sixty, Lucky Sweynesse, Romantic Warrior and California Spangle – featured in the top 15 in the 2023 LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (WBRR).
The world-class quality of Hong Kong horses was showcased at Hong Kong’s two international flagship events, the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and FWD Champions Day.
Competing against 32 overseas runners from five countries, Hong Kong’s equine stars swept to victory in six out of seven Group 1 features.
