The Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, has hailed the 2024 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) as a historic milestone for Hong Kong racing.
On a day that spotlighted Hong Kong racing on the global stage, the event featured standout victories, including Ka Ying Rising in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint, Voyage Bubble in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, and Giavellotto securing Great Britain’s first win since 2012 in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase. Romantic Warrior made history by becoming the first horse to claim three victories in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup, propelling its career earnings to a world-record HK$177 million (approximately £17.9 million), surpassing Golden Sixty’s HK$167 million (£16.3 million).
The event attracted 69,916 attendees to Sha Tin Racecourse, marking the highest attendance for the LONGINES HKIR since 2018. Total turnover reached HK$1,716.3 million (approximately £173 million), with overseas turnover hitting a record HK$473.8 million (£47.8 million), reflecting a 10% year-on-year increase.
Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges expressed gratitude to international and local owners, trainers, and jockeys, as well as the Hong Kong Jockey Club staff, for their contributions to what he described as one of the most memorable days in Hong Kong racing history.
“I personally think it was one of the best, if not the best, LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and an incredible week. Starting with the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship, it was an amazing success. Today, we hoped to create a highlight and I personally think everything went to perfection,” he said.
“When one looks purely at the results, it was a tremendous success for Hong Kong horses but our overseas horses also ran really well. When you talk to the overseas owners, even if their horses finished second or third, they say it was a wonderful experience to come to Hong Kong and support the meeting.”
“When you look at the sporting performances, Romantic Warrior is the best 2000m horse in the world. It was an absolutely dominant performance, he showed that he is absolutely world-class and to win this race (LONGINES Hong Kong Cup) for the third time is an incredible effort.
“He has now broken the world prizemoney record of Golden Sixty with total prizemoney of HK$177 million, which is an amazing achievement.
“It was a very good win by Giavellotto. It was the first time since 2012 for a British horse and with Ka Ying Rising, he had tremendous competition from another Hong Kong horses (Victor The Winner), which disrupted his rhythm, but he is an amazing sprinter.
“Voyage Bubble has shown how good he is and I think it was a tremendous performance from the runner-up (Soul Rush).”
“Our strategy to bring the best races from Hong Kong and show them overseas is really proving a great success with our races today for the first time under the World Pool banner, which shows our racing product is extremely well received,” Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“Today is not about the turnover. Today is about the sport – it was a fantastic spectacle. The crescendo was the fireworks to close this wonderful meeting. We have one new racing fan in Sir Alex (Ferguson). He was absolutely enthused about Hong Kong and what he saw, so he promised me to come back.
“This meeting attracts a global audience, global recognition and this reflects positively on Hong Kong.
“We would like to thank all the owners, trainers, jockeys who have brought their horses here because we can make this a global event only if we have the support of the owners, trainers and jockeys from overseas.”
English