World-class jockeys, including Kieren Fallon and Darren Beadman, will be in Hong Kong tomorrow competing for a purse of US$8 million at the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races.
The annual meeting is one of the world’s richest, alongside marquee events on the racing calendar such as the Triple Crown in the US, the Dubai World Cup and Royal Ascot in Britain.
The premier event will feature four separate races on a turf track — the 2,400m Vase, the 1,200m Sprint, the 1,600m Hong Hong Mile and 2,000m Hong Kong Cup.
A crowd of 55,000 is expected at the Sha Tin Racecourse to watch top thoroughbreds, including champion Hong Kong sprinter Sacred Kingdom and Youmzain — a three-time runner-up in the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe.
As many as 1 million of the city’s 7 millionAresidents are expected to watch the televised race, said William Nader, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s executive director of racing.
“It’s a mega event,” Nader said. “There are only a handful of race meetings that really fit in this category.”
Horse racing is easily the biggest spectator sport in the former British colony. Last year, Hong Kongers gambled about US$8.5 billion at the track and Jockey Club betting centers scattered around the city. The betting turnover at tomorrow’s races alone is expected to top US$140 million, Nader said.
Apart from Beadman and six-time champion Fallon, other big-name riders competing include Kevin Shea, Ryan Moore and Johnny Murtagh.
“The Hong Kong International Races are one of the jewels in the crown of Asian racing,” said Andrew Harding, secretary general of the Asian Racing Federation. “Success at Sha Tin places horses, trainers and jockeys on a pedestal throughout world racing.”
The renowned Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe and Cantonese pop star Leo Ku will perform at the track in Hong Kong’s New Territories, with a firework display at the end of the day as each winner’s national anthem is played.
“It is about the closest a racing event can come to an Olympic experience,” Nader said.
Last year, Shea won the Hong Kong Cup riding Eagle Mountain and Christophe Soumillon took the Hong Kong Mile on Good Ba Ba. Olivier Peslier grabbed top spot in the Hong Kong Vase on Doctor Dino, while Beadman rode Inspiration to victory in the Sprint.
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