Triumphant conclusion to Club sponsored LONGINES Hong Kong Masters

02/21/2016

The LONGINES Masters of Hong Kong, Asia’s largest show jumping competition, concluded today (21 February). More than 60,000 people attended the three-day event at AsiaWorld-Expo, which also attracted an audience of around 550 million households from over 120 countries world-wide.

In the finale event, the LONGINES Grand Prix, an Olympic-level show jumping competition, Macro Kutscher from Germany took top honours with two clear rounds, beating 25 leading international equestrians. Jacqueline Lai, a member of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Equestrian Team, placed 20th with 8 faults in the competition.

This was the fourth consecutive year for The Hong Kong Jockey Club to sponsor the Masters, with the aim of further promoting equestrian sport in Hong Kong. As the “Founding Partner”, the Club gave logistical assistance and provided veterinary care for competing horses. The Club also provided plenty of opportunities for Hong Kong audiences to engage more closely with equestrian sport, notably through the HKJC Horse Pavilion, a new attraction which gave international and local visitors the chance to get up close and personal with horses.

As with the previous three editions of the Masters, six visiting international riders, were invited by the Club to conduct master classes for junior riders from the HKJC Equestrian Training Squad - helping to groom the talent of Hong Kong’s future champions. They included London Olympic silver medalist Maikel van der Vleuten.

Simon Delestre, currently world number two in show jumping, and Olympic bronze medalist Marco Kutscher, also visited the Club’s Beas River Equestrian Centre to give workshops to more than 20 local riding instructors.

As part of its commitment to giving back to the community, the Club once again sponsored 2,000 local students and less privileged members of society nominated by schools, charities and NGOs to attend the first day of competition, including the HKJC Trophy and the HKJC Race of the Riders, giving them opportunity to experience top equestrian action first hand.

As a world-class horse racing organization, the Club is a long-term supporter of equestrian sport in Hong Kong. The Club has operated public riding schools since 1970s, attracting many thousands of people to learn riding skills and horse care, with some 56,000 visits each year. In addition, the Club has also sponsored major international equestrian competitions such as the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games. The HKJC Equestrian Team and HKJC Junior Equestrian Training Squad were also established by the Club with the aim of developing the potential of Hong Kong’s most talented riders. All of these projects and programmes are designed to promote equestrian sport and nurture Hong Kong’s high-performing riders as they strive for equestrian excellence on the world stage.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,000 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong.