Horse-racing, a Hong Kong passion

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By CGTN’s Ge Yunfei

Speed, passion, and luck.

Every Wednesday night in the heart of Hong Kong, thousands of locals and tourists flood to the Happy Valley Racecourse to watch the thrilling races along with hundreds of thousands of jockey fans from 14 countries on the Internet.

It’s a horse-racing event that extends far beyond the racecourse. Even if you're not interested in making bets, you can still enjoy the party during the race, with live bands, beer and beautiful show girls.

Wong Ka Chai, a local horse-racing fan at the Happy Valley Racecourse. /CGTN Photo

Wong Ka Chai, a small Hong Kong business owner, starts preparing for the races immediately after getting off work. He has been wagering on horses for over 20 years. If he wins, he usually has a dinner with his family. "Betting on the horses won’t make you rich. I just consider it as a small bonus," he says.

Although Wong doesn't always bet on the right horse, his passion for the sport remains. "It’s so much fun," he says, "Hong Kongers are so stressed but we can get all that stress out at the horse races. Watching and shouting… just makes you happy. You can't put a price on the joy of winning."

For Wong, going to the races now is just as good as 20 years ago. On this day, he won 1,000 HK dollars (128 US dollars)... with just a 200 HK dollar bet.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club used to be called the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club before Great Britain handed the territory back to China in 1997. Since horse-racing was illegal on the Chinese mainland, many feared that horse-racing would change under the "One Country, Two systems" principle.

But the jockey club's CEO, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, told CGTN that the industry is more successful now than ever. "I came here on April 1, 1998. Twenty years ago, Hong Kong racing... from a sporting quality, it was more regional. Now, we really have developed into one of the global leaders in the racing world.”

1974km