HK DEC 11 - HK INTERNATIONAL RACES RAISE THE BAR IN TERMS OF A RACING EXPERIENCE

By Hong Kong Jockey Club | Sunday, December 11, 2011

Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges hailed the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races “the greatest show on turf” after the 2011 event played out before a huge crowd and produced not only a thrilling afternoon of sport but also a substantial increase in turnover.

“Looking at today’s result from both a business point of view and a sporting point of view, it was an absolutely outstanding meeting,” said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges.

The four international races registered a significant increase in betting activity, with last year’s turnover of HK$385 million being eclipsed by a substantial increase that saw the 2011 figure rise to HK$443 million.

Overall turnover for the 10-race card rose to HK$1,240 million.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “The turnover has reached HK$1.24 billion, which is an increase of 17% over last year. That is the highest since 1998.

“This race meeting generated HK$145 million tax revenue for the Hong Kong government, so the biggest benefactor of this race meeting is definitely the government. We had a terrific day for Hong Kong racing and a terrific day for Hong Kong!

“We think turnover, especially in the international races, is the highest ever. It has gone from HK$385 million to HK$443 million. That shows that our strategy of having simulcast races, familiarising people with overseas horses, is key.

"I would like to use this again as an appeal to our government that we need to embrace the internationalisation and globalisation of racing so that hopefully, worldwide, people can bet in the pool of one of the biggest, if not the biggest international race meeting in the world.”

A crowd of 67,153 eager racing fans, a 24.2% increase on 2010, raised the roof as local horses won three of the four G1 races for the first time since 2002, and the CEO drew specific attention to Matthew Chadwick’s victory in the day’s feature event, the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Cup.

Chadwick, at just 21 years of age and a graduate of the HKJC Apprentice Jockeys’ School, became the first homegrown jockey to win a CXHKIR with a brilliant ride aboard the Tony Cruz-trained California Memory.

“It is a fantastic result for Hong Kong and a fantastic result for our academy,” commented Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges. “Matthew Chadwick is the first homegrown jockey from the academy to win an international Group 1 race here in Hong Kong. We are very keen to invest in the future of Hong Kong and therefore it is very important - this is definitely the reward of a very good programme.”

Hong Kong runners dominated the sprint thanks to Lucky Nine, Entrapment and Joy And Fun, who fought out a scintillating three-way finish to the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint. It was Lucky Nine, ridden by Brett Prebble, who gave Hong Kong a 9th win in the past 10 renewals.

And Hong Kong was ascendant in the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile too as nine-year-old Able One turned back the years with a great win under veteran rider Jeff Lloyd.

The 2011 international races, which attracted 26 top-class overseas raiders, commenced earlier in the afternoon with the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Vase, in which Dunaden become the first G1 Melbourne Cup winner to add victory at the CXHKIR.

Mikel Delzangles’ charge took Australia’s biggest race by a nose back in November but was more dominant over 2400m at Sha Tin, winning by three quarters of a length from the Caspar Fownes-trained Thumbs Up.

William A Nader, the Club’s Executive Director of Racing, summed up: “The one thing that stood out today and also on Wednesday night (CX International Jockeys’ Championship) is the great atmosphere in Hong Kong racing at our big races.

"When you think of the great occasions worldwide, this has to stand up among the top, in among the elite, and we are very proud of that.”

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