Hong Kong
www.hkjc.com

History

Racing in Hong Kong was introduced by early British settlers, although the exact date is unknown. We do know that in December 1846, the China Mail, Hong Kong's first newspaper, carried an announcement of two race meetings to be held that month.

The site of the present Happy Valley racecourse was originally a swamp where, because it was the only flat land on the island, the first settlers lived. However, malaria and other diseases soon forced them to move out. In the mid-1840s, the marshland was drained and the residents set up a racecourse in the area called 'Happy Valley'. Initially, there was only one race meeting a year, usually at Chinese New Year.

In 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club was founded to improve racing. It organised all racing activities, although betting continued to be operated by private clubs with the Jockey Club receiving a commission.

From its first foundation the Jockey Club embarked on a period of expansion which has continued to the present day and which is still happening. In 1892, the early bamboo Members' Stands were replaced by a more substantial structure. In 1904, expansion of racing activities required the employment of the first Club Secretary; and in 1907, a Club office was set up in Central District.

On 26 February 1918, the public stands collapsed and then caught fire; more than 600 people died. In 1931, two three-storey permanent stands were constructed.

In 1957, these were replaced by two seven-storey buildings which were expanded in 1969 to become part of today's viewing stands.

In 1978, the second racecourse at Sha Tin in the New Territories was opened. In 1981, another public stand was added in Happy Valley. A second public stand, opened in 1985, increased the Sha Tin capacity to 70,000.

In 1988 the first Hong Kong International Race Meeting was held at Sha Tin.

In 1995, the Happy Valley Racecourse was redeveloped and upgraded to an all grass racecourse with world class facilities.

The Club has always been a non-profit-making organisation; surplus funds are given to charitable and community projects. In 1959, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (Charities) Limited was formed to distribute donations. The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, formed in 1993, took over this responsibility.

In March 1971, the Club switched from amateur riders to professional jockeys to improve the quality of racing and exercise stricter control. That led to jockeys from around the world being able to ride in Hong Kong.

Night racing started in 1973, the same year the Government authorised the Club to set up off-course betting branches to help combat illegal bookmaking. The following year, a telephone betting service was started.

The Club celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1984.

Within 4 years from 1999 to 2002, five international invitation races were upgraded to Group 1 events. The Hong Kong Cup was the first to be Group 1 in 1999. Then come to Hong Kong Mile and Hong Kong Vase in 2000. Queen Elizaberth II Cup in 2001 and Hong Kong Sprint in 2002.

In 2004 November, the first country in the world with a retractable paddock roof opened at the Sha Tin Racecourse.

Name of Racing Authority: The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Postal Address: One Sports Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong

Tel: (852) 2966 8111 Fax: (852) 2577 9036

Email: hotline@hkjc.org.hk

Web Site: www.hkjc.com

Chairman: Mr John C C Chan GBS JP

Stewards / Committee:

Mr John C C Chan GBS JP (Chairman)

Mr David Eldon GBS CBE JP (Deputy Chairman)

Mr Robert C Kwok JP

Mr T Brian Stevenson SBS

Mr Simon S O Ip JP

Mr Anthony W K Chow SBS JP

Mr Christopher Cheng Wai Chee OBE JP

Dr Donald K T Li JP

Mr Victor Hui Chun Fui SBS JP

Mr Lester C H Kwok JP

Mr Michael T H Lee

Mr Philip N L Chen SBS JP

Chief Executive Officer: Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges

Executive Director, Racing: Mr William A Nader

Executive Director, Betting: Mr Henry S K Chan

Executive Director, Finance: Mr Paulus S Lee

Executive Director, Membership Services:Mr Billy K C Chen

Executive Director, Charities: Mr William Y Yiu

Executive Director, Corporate Development: Mr Kim K W Mak

Executive Director, Security & Corporate Legal Services: Mr Stephen Chandler

Executive Director, Information Technology: Mr Sunny Lee

Contact for Overseas Liaison / Information: Mr Mark Player (Manager, International Races, Sale and Development)

Statistical:

Racing Season 2005/06:		From		September 04 To July 02
Number of Racecourses				2
Number of Fixtures		Flat		78
Number of Races		Flat		708
Number of Runners		Flat		9,018
Number of Horses in Training				1,337
Number of Trainers				23
Number of Jockeys				34
Number of Owners				1,038

Principal Races (2006/2007) :

	Name		Classification International / Domestic		Date		Prize Money (HK$)		Racecourse
1.	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup		Int'l Gp 1		10/12/06		20,000,000		Sha Tin
2.	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile		Int'l Gp 1		10/12/06		16,000,000		Sha Tin
3.	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase		Int'l Gp 1		10/12/06		14,000,000		Sha Tin
4.	Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint		Int'l Gp 1		10/12/06		12,000,000		Sha Tin
5.	Stewards' Cup		Gp 1		28/01/07		8,000,000		Sha Tin
6.	Mercedes-Benz HK Classic Mile		Gp 1		28/01/07		8,000,000		Sha Tin
7.	Centenary Sprint Cup		Gp 1		04/02/07		4,500,000		Sha Tin
8.	Hong Kong Gold Cup		Gp 1		04/03/07		8,000,000		Sha Tin
9.	Chairman's Sprint Prize		Gp 1		04/03/07		4,500,000		Sha Tin
10.	Mercedes-Benz Hong Kong Derby		Gp 1		18/03/07		16,000,000		Sha Tin
11.	Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup		Gp 1		09/04/07		4,500,000		Sha Tin
12.	Audemars Piguet QEII Cup		Int'l Gp 1		29/04/07		14,000,000		Sha Tin
13.	Champions Mile		Int'l Gp 1		29/04/07		8,000,000		Sha Tin
14.	HK Champions & Chater Cup		Gp 1		03/06/07		8,000,000		Sha Tin

Financial (2005/2006)

Total Prizemoney (Local Currency - HK Dollar)

HK$678 million - Provided by Racing Authorities

Average Prizemoney Per Race (Total) HK$957,000

Exchange Rate to US$: US$1 = HK$7.75

Betting		Totalizator		Yes		Off Course		Yes
		Bookmakers		No		Off Course		No

Total Betting Turnover / Year HK$60,050 million

On Course HK $6,200 million

Others (X Bet, Telebet, IS and MJC) HK $53,850 Million

Principal Bet Types	Standard: Win, Place, Quinella, Quinella Place, Double Exotic: Triple Trio, Double Trio, Six Up, Treble, Tierce
Betting Deductions	Govt Tax (%) - Standard: 12%; - Exotic: 20% Retained by Authority (%) - Standard: 5.5% ; - Exotic: 5%

Report on Racing Activities

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club provides horse racing, betting and racing related entertainment to over one million Hong Kong racing fans. It is a non-profit making organisation and donates all surpluses to charity and community projects. In 2005/06 the Club donated $US133 million to 106 charities. It is thus not only Hong Kong's main provider of sporting entertainment, but its largest source of charitable funding. The Club is also an important source of Government revenue, paying $US 1 billion in racing betting duty in 2005/06. In all these ways, horse racing, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, play an important part in the life of the Hong Kong community.

Going international. The last decade has seen Hong Kong racing adopt a more international profile. Renowned trainers and jockeys have become fixtures on the local racing scene. Hong Kong horses have started to become internationally competitive and venture overseas to race. Hong Kong also plays host to two important international events; the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races in December and the Audemars Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Champions Mile in April. The Hong Kong International Races are now generally recognised to be the most international event in the racing world and the main meeting point for northern and southern hemisphere thoroughbreds.

Proactive charity support. The Club continues to provide a broad range of support for Hong Kong's community needs, donating an average of $US130 million to over 100 different charity and community projects each year in four sectors - medical and health; education and training; sports, recreation and culture; and community services. A particular focus has been support for pilot projects - helping to push out the boundaries of health, welfare and education in Hong Kong.

Meeting customer expectations. The 1990s have also seen the Club putting a renewed emphasis on customer satisfaction. The racing product has been revamped to appeal to a broader range of customers, and a start made on upgrading racecourse facilities to meet the demands of the next generation of racegoers. The Club continues to invest in the latest technology to provide enhanced racing information and betting services.

Racing post 2000. The ultimate objective of these efforts is to provide Hong Kong racing fans with top class, international standard racing entertainment, and facilities and services that meet the highest standards of customer satisfaction. By achieving this, the Club will be able to guarantee its support for Government and charity. This is the vision for Hong Kong racing post 2000.

Racecourses. Racing takes place most weekends and Wednesdays between early September and early July. In the 2006/07 season, 78 race meetings are scheduled. The tight city track at Happy Valley is the venue for the popular Wednesday night races, while Sha Tin sees most weekend day races. Sha Tin is also the home of top domestic group races and of all international events.

Horses. The current horse population is around 1,330. With Hong Kong's urban environment making breeding impossible, the population is sustained by the importation of 300-350 horses per year. Retired racehorses are usually re-schooled for leisure riding at Club sponsored riding schools, or found new homes in mainland China or overseas.
Six veterinary surgeons monitor and look after the welfare of all horses in Hong Kong. This includes all horses in training, plus those who have been retired and either sent to the Club's four riding schools in the territory or shipped to other parts of China for equestrian sports. A modern, well-equipped equine hospital and clinical laboratory are located next to the stables at the Sha Tin Racecourse.

Betting & technology. The Club operates pari-mutuel betting at both racecourses, at 109 off-course betting branches, through telephone betting and through Customer Input Terminals (CIT). There are currently over 1 million telephone betting and CIT account holders. The Club is a leading developer of betting technology. Latest products include Hong Kong's first 'smartcard', the Electronic Shroff Card (ESC) for the secure storage of cash, and the wireless Customer Input Terminal used in conjunction with a mobile phone.
Other business activities, in addition to its racing, betting and charity functions, the Club also operates:

*Members Club. The Club is also a private members club providing dining and recreation amenities in three clubhouses, as well as dedicated racing facilities in the Members stands at the racecourses. All of these facilities are funded directly from Members' subscriptions and fees. Membership currently stands at 24,300.

*Public Lottery. The Club manages and operates a 'six out of 49' lottery for the Hong Kong Lottery Board. The Club charges 6% commission for its operating costs and derives no profit from its operation. 15% of sales proceeds are allocated to the lottery fund, which in turn allocates money to social welfare projects.

Employees. The Club is one of Hong Kong's largest employers with a full-time staff of 4,400 and part-time staff of 20,000. These work in front-line roles such as betting, racing and catering, as well as providing vital 'back of house' support in finance, human resources, security and technology development.