Jockey Club marks HKSAR’s 26th anniversary by staging Hong Kong Reunification Raceday

01/07/2023 21:50

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) marked the 26th anniversary of the Hong KongSpecial Administrative Region (HKSAR) today (1 July) at Sha Tin Racecourse by staging the Hong Kong Reunification Raceday. In line with various celebratory activities in the city, the Club offered free admission to the Public Enclosure for racing fans at Sha Tin and Happy Valley, as well as discounts for selected food and beverage items with a special price set at 71% of their original purchase price at trackside catering outlets.

Staged as a twilight meeting, the 10-race programme had two feature contests, the Hong Kong Reunification Cup and the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup, and featured an array of on-course activities headlined by popular singer Gigi Yim in the Parade Ring.

The Hong Kong Reunification Cup was run as Race 4. The Honourable Andrew Leung Kwan-yuen GBM GBS JP, The President of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Ms Lu Xinning, Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR and Mr Liu Guangyuan, Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the HKSAR presented the trophies to the winning owner, trainer and jockey.

The Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup was run as Race 3. The Honourable Starry Lee Wai-king GBS, JP, Member of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress cum Member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and Chairman of the House Committee, Mr Cui Jian, Director-General of Sports Bureau of Guangdong Province and Ms Tan Aiying, Director-General of Administration of Sports of Guangzhou Municipality, presented the trophies to the winning owner, trainer and jockey.

The Hong Kong Reunification Cup was won by the Frankie Lor-trained Sword Point, ridden by Zac Purton while the David Hall-trained Let's Do It with Hugh Bowman aboard took the Guangdong-Hong Kong Cup.

To mark the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Club is honoured to stage the Hong Kong Reunification Cup today. In the spirit of "Ma Zhao Pao" (racing goes on), the race demonstrates the on-going achievements of Hong Kong's world-class racing. Horse racing is Hong Kong's most popular spectator sport and an integral part of Hong Kong's image as a world-class city. As a world-class racing club, the Club has been a global leader in the sport of horse racing, acting continuously for the betterment of society.

Guangdong has long been at the forefront of Mainland-Hong Kong collaboration. With the concerted efforts of both sides, collaboration between Guangdong and Hong Kong has been rich and prominent in a wide range of areas, notably in sports and equine industry development. The Club is a longstanding supporter of Guangdong-Hong Kong collaboration in sports, equine industry development and many other areas. In May 2021, the Club signed a Supplementary Memorandum of Understanding with the Sports Bureau of Guangdong Province to deepen cooperation and foster the development of equine sports and other related areas in Guangdong, including talent development for equine sports and equine industry as well as sports exchange activities for youth in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). At the same time, the Club entered into the Framework Cooperation Agreement with the Guangzhou Municipal Government. The Agreement aims to establish an international-standard racing system in Guangzhou benefiting from the Club's international standing in racing and our world-class facilities at the Conghua Racecourse. Both sides look forward to establishing the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Racing Economic Cluster as an exemplary high-quality industry development in the GBA.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of our society. The Club has a unique integrated business model, comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2021/22, the Club returned a total of HK$33.6 billion to the community. This included HK$27.0 billion to the Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$6.6 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is also one of the world's top ten charity donors. The Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.