Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.
Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.
The Hong Kong Vase is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2,400 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December.
The Hong Kong Sprint is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December.
The Hong Kong Cup is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 2000 metres at Sha Tin, and it is scheduled to take place each year in mid December.
The Singapore Turf Club was founded in 1842 as the Singapore Sporting Club to operate the Serangoon Road Race Course at Farrer Park Field. It is the only horse-racing club in Singapore and is part of the Malayan Racing Association. The first race was held on 23 February 1843 with a prize money of $150.
The Queen Elizabeth II Cup is a Group One Thoroughbred horse race at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, Hong Kong. Established in 1975 by the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club, it is run annually in April at a distance of 2,000 metres on turf. Prior to 1997 it was run at 2,200 metres. Sponsored by Swiss watchmaker Audemars Piguet since 1999, it currently offers a purse of HK$20 million (US$2.6 million)since 2014/15.
The Hong Kong Gold Cup is a Group One Hong Kong Thoroughbred horse race held annually since 1979 at Sha Tin Racecourse. It is open to horses three years of age and older. Run on turf, it was initially run over a distance of 1,800 metres, but is now set at 2,000 metres and it offers a purse of HK$12,000,000.
The Global Sprint Challenge is a Thoroughbred horse racing series inaugurated in 2005 as a series of six sprint races run across three racing jurisdictions in Australia, England and Japan. In 2006 the series expanded to seven races across four racing jurisdictions with the inclusion of a race in Hong Kong. In 2008 the series expanded to eight races when an additional race in England became part of the series and in 2011 the series expands to nine races with the inclusion of a race in Singapore.
The Jockey Club Sprint is a Group 2 set weights Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run over 1200 metres. In the 2003/2004 racing season, this race was upgraded to a domestic Group 2 event. The race was promoted to International Group 2 status in 2010. The prize money in season 2011/12 is HK$3,000,000, which was increased to HK$3,875,000 in season 2014/15.
The Jockey Club Mile is a Group 2 set weights Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin over 1600 metres in November.
The Centenary Sprint Cup is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race over a distance of 1200 metres at Sha Tin in January. It was originally known as the Centenary Cup, which was first run on 24 November 1984 to celebrate the centenary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club. It offers a purse of HK$10,000,000.
The Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup is a set weights Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run over 1400 metres, with the total purse of HK$10m in 2014/15, approximately US$1.3m. In the season of 2005/06, it was upgraded to Group 1 status and has since become the final leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series.
The National Day Cup is a Group 3 Thoroughbred handicap horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin over 1000 metres. It takes place every year on 1 October, Hong Kong National Day. Originally run over 1400 metres, it replaced the Sha Tin Sprint Trophy in 2014, with the Celebration Cup a new race over 1400 metres. It is one of only two Group races run over 1000 metres in Hong Kong each year, along with January's Bauhinia Sprint Trophy.
Bauhinia Sprint Trophy is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin over 1000 metres in December/January. Horses rated 90 and above are qualified to enter the race. The race held Group One status until 2004 and was won twice, 2004 and 2005, by Silent Witness.
The Jockey Club Cup is a set weights Group 2 Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run at Sha Tin over a distance of 2000 metres in November.
Pan Sutong JP, is a Hong Kong billionaire businessman. He is the founder of Matsunichi Digital Holdings Limited, and the chairman of Goldin Real Estate Financial Holdings Limited.
Gold-Fun was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse trained in Hong Kong since 2012. He is notable for winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile 2013, National Day Cup 2013 (HKG3–1400m), the HKG2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy, the HKG1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup 2014 and the Celebration Cup 2014.
Able Friend is an Australian-bred, Hong Kong-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After showing some promise when winning one of his two races in his native country, the gelding was transferred to race in Hong Kong in 2013. In the 2013/2014 season he established himself as one of the best milers in Hong Kong with four wins including the Hong Kong Classic Mile and the Chairman's Trophy from seven races. In the following season his wins in the Jockey Club Mile (2014) and Hong Kong Mile saw him rated among the best racehorses in the world. By the International Ratings of 127, he was officially the highest internationally rated Hong Kong racehorse ever. He was crowned as the Hong Kong Horse of the Year in 2015.
Fairy King Prawn was an Australian-bred, Hong Kong-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. After being sold and exported to Hong Kong as a yearling he became one of the most successful and popular horses in his adopted territory. Equally adept as a sprinter or as a miler he won twelve of his twenty-six starts including the Chairman's Sprint Prize (twice) the Hong Kong Sprint, Hong Kong Stewards' Cup and Bauhinia Sprint Trophy. In 2000 he became the first Hong Kong horse to win a Grade One race abroad when he won the Yasuda Kinen in Japan. He won numerous awards including the title of Hong Kong Horse of the Year on two occasions. He was retired from racing in 2002 after undergoing surgery for serious leg injuries. After working for several years at a Hong Kong riding school he was sent into full retirement in New Zealand in 2011.
