With Jockey Cluba£á?s extended sponsorship, HK sends strong equestrian team to Incheon Asian Games

09/10/2014

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Equestrian Team, whose members have helped the city achieve a number of "firsts" in international competition, is growing in both size and competitive strength.  Today (10 September), the Club announced it would sponsor a new group of three local eventing riders, on top of the original team of five showjumpers.

All eight of these Club-sponsored riders will be part of a 10-strong Hong Kong team – also announced today – competing in the equestrian competitions of the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, from 20 to 30 September.  This will be the second time after the Guangzhou 2010 Games that Hong Kong has contested all three equestrian disciplines, namely jumping, eventing and dressage.

HKJC Chairman T. Brian Stevenson said at today’s press conference that the Jockey Club had been very happy to be the official partner of the Hong Kong Equestrian Squad since 2008, and the team had enjoyed some notable successes in that time.

President of Hong Kong Equestrian Federation and Club Deputy Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip expressed the Federation's appreciation of all its sponsors and supporters, especially official partner the Jockey Club, for its unrivalled and ongoing support of all things equestrian in Hong Kong.

In Guangzhou, former Club riding instructors Nicole Pearson and Annie Ho narrowly missed out on the bronze medal in the team eventing competition.  This year, they will be back in the Hong Kong team, joined by newcomer Thomas Ho – and with the benefit of Club sponsorship to help their preparations, they will have high hopes of riding that important step further into the medal positions.

Meanwhile the five existing Club-sponsored riders – Patrick Lam, Samantha Lam, Kenneth Cheng, Jacqueline Lai and Raena Leung – are equally primed and ready to participate in the team and individual jumping competitions at the Incheon Asian Games.  In recent months, all five riders have been receiving intensive training in Europe with the Club’s sponsorship.  Now they are hungry to reach another milestone, four years after claiming a historic team bronze medal in Guangzhou – Hong Kong's first-ever equestrian medal in the Asian Games.

All members of Hong Kong's equestrian team for the Incheon Games have received assistance or support from the Club at some point in their riding career.  The two dressage representatives, Aram Gregory and Jacqueline Siu, both learned riding at the Club’s Beas River Equestrian Centre when they were young, laying a solid foundation for their riding career.

The Hong Kong team will also have the benefit of professional Club support in Incheon, as a Club veterinarian and farrier will be on hand to help keep the horses in good condition, while the jumping team will be coached by Lars Meyer Zu Bexten, HKJC's Equestrian Team Coach and Manager.

The Club has long been dedicated to promoting equestrian sport in Hong Kong and raising the standards of local riders. The HKJC Equestrian Team and Junior Equestrian Team were established in late 2008 to nurture riders with potential, following Hong Kong's successful staging of the equestrian events of the Beijing Olympics, which featured a Hong Kong team for the first time.  Last August, the Club announced a further substantial commitment to extend its support for another 3½ years.  New sponsorship elements were also added to enhance the standards of Hong Kong's riders and local development of the sport, including professional equestrian expertise from overseas.  Sponsorship of the HKJC Eventing Team now adds a further new element to the programme.

These commitments have already paid off handsomely. During the past six years, Club-sponsored riders have achieved a number of historic results for Hong Kong including individual gold and bronze medals and a team bronze at the Jinan 2009 National Games; a silver medal at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympics; a team bronze at the Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games; and an individual silver medal at the Shenyang 2013 National Games.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is not only one of the world’s leading horse racing organisations, but also Hong Kong’s largest community contributor, donating HK$1.95 billion in 2012/13. In addition, the Club is a major taxpayer, Hong Kong’s single largest by far, generating over HK$17.64 billion in 2012/13 for public funds. The Club pioneers technology applications for sporting and betting entertainment, striving for the highest levels of customer service. As a membership club, it is recognised as one of Asia’s most prestigious. These multifaceted roles make it a well-respected and remarkable organisation, dedicated to its mission of enhancing the quality of life for all Hong Kong people.