Great Fun for all at Hong Konga£á?s Pre-season Carnival

08/27/2016

A fun day out was enjoyed by all at Sha Tin Racecourse today, Saturday 27 August, when over 10,700 attendees, including racehorse owners, members and the general public, took part in various educational and racing-related activities at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Pre-season Carnival.

The annual event, held a week prior to the opening fixture of Hong Kong’s racing season - this year scheduled on Saturday, 3 September - as usual provided a welcoming, family-friendly environment packed with fun attractions.

New initiatives this time included the Barbie Hat DIY Workshop, Hotwheels-Make it Epic fun zone, Thomas & Friends Bouncy Fun and Play-Doh Workshop.  Live performances including dancing, clown acts, children’s choir, African drums and a magic show were popular, as were the Yakult Interactive Game Zone, 3Doodler Young Creator 3D Art Workshop, My Little Pony Interactive 3D Magic Colouring, Mega Bloks Mega Fun, and the BeatBo Dance Sing Fun Meet & Greet.  One of the event’s annual features proved as popular as ever as children and adults alike took the opportunity to learn more about animal care: Pre-season Carnival favourites, the Shetland Ponies, were on hand for grooming and many youngsters made the most of one of the day’s most popular activities - pony rides. In addition, a My Little Chef – Mooncake Making Class offered valuable learning experiences, as children made mini-mooncakes under the coaching of Hong Kong Jockey Club chefs.

The day’s outright highlight was once again the annual Jockeys’ Sprint, with Hong Kong’s star riders formed into teams of two for a 100m relay contest. The Club’s Executive Director, Racing Authority Mr. Andrew Harding took on the starter role. Having shown fleetness of foot and seamless teamwork, the winning team of Karis Teetan and Jack Wong crossed the finish line first to claim the crown in this unofficial “first race” of the season.  The Club’s Executive Director, Racing Business and Operations Mr. Anthony Kelly, presented a HK$5,000 cheque, the winning trophy and medals to Karis Teetan and Jack Wong after the competition. Chad Schofield and racing trainee Samuel Cheng in second place, and Neil Callan and Dylan Mo in third place, were also presented with medals and cheques of HK$3,000 and HK$2,000, respectively.

Visitors also took the opportunity to watch the real stars, the race horses, in action. Dozens strode out under their riders in six turf barrier trials as evening arrived. The on-track action offered a taste of the exciting entertainment to come at the 2016/17 season opener at Sha Tin next Saturday (3 September).

Jockeys’ Sprint Past Results