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International Racing Slated for Chinese Mainland in '25

Construction of a "new and iconic grandstand" planned for Conghua Racecourse.

Conghua Racecourse

Conghua Racecourse

Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced May 14 agreements with the Guangzhou Municipal Government to bring a regular program of international-standard racing to the Chinese Mainland starting in 2025.

The agreement calls for the construction of a "new and iconic grandstand" and other significant upgrades of the HKJC's Conghua Racecourse about three hours' travel north of Hong Kong, which currently is used primarily for training. Other than lacking a grandstand, Conghua, opened in 2018, already is a racing-ready, world-class facility.

The signing was attended by HKJC chairman Philip Chen; chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Carrie Lam; the governor of Guangdong, Ma Xingrui; and several other government officials.

The announcement did not specifically mention the prospect of pari-mutuel wagering at the facility. Wagering on horse racing currently is illegal on the Chinese mainland and modification of that policy would require action by the central government in Beijing.

The signatories did, however, say the agreement "aims to establish a commercially viable and sustainable system of international-standard racing in Guangzhou drawing on the Club's international standing and world-class facilities at Conghua Racecourse.

"This in turn will strengthen CRC's position as the anchor of the Guangzhou-Hong Kong Racing Economic Cluster and provide a strategic platform for the mainland to showcase international racing," the agreement outlined.

The agreement contains three main points: introduction of regular, international-standard racing at Conghua by 2025; construction of a grandstand, additional stables, training facilities, and expanded staff accommodation; and development of an "equine value chain" for the Greater Bay Area region extending across southeastern China and to Macau.

The "value chain" concept has been part of the HKJC's long-range planning since it announced the Conghua facility. Various intergovernmental agreements already have secured key infrastructure elements, including the establishment of the mainland's first permanent equine disease-free zone and protocols for regular transport of horses between Hong Kong and Conghua.

The scheme envisions the area becoming a free-travel center for all types of international equine competition.

A separate agreement also signed by the same officials promulgates the Guangdong-Hong Kong Equine Industry Collaboration Task Force with the charge to "enhance Hong Kong-Guangdong collaboration and facilitate the formulation of policy measures to promote equine industry development in the GBA."

HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said the agreements will "substantially deepen" the cooperative effort between the Club and the local government.

"Since its opening in 2018, CRC has become an integral part of Hong Kong's world-class racing. We will fully leverage CRC's world-class facilities and talent within the Club to implement this exciting but challenging initiative," Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

The CRC is nestled in a green, mountainous region noted for its hot springs resorts and was a popular tourism destination before the HKJC selected the site for its training center. The area is replete with luxury amenities and established infrastructure. The government has agreed to upgrade access to the CRC as part of the expansion.

Conghua Racecourse has a sweeping turf course that can accommodate 2,000-meter (about 1 1/4 mile) races from a chute around one sweeping turn. An undeveloped area facing the stretch obviously was designed as the site of a grandstand. An uphill gallop behind the backstretch offers unique training opportunities for horses otherwise restricted to conditioning on track in Hong Kong.

The facility also has complete veterinary and rehabilitation facilities and provides training for local residents in all phases of the equine industry in preparation for an expansion of competition in the area.

The club hosted a day of exhibition races at the facility in March 2019 with officials of the Beijing government in attendance. Since then, it has been used as alternate stabling and training for horses racing at Sha Tin and Happy Valley in Hong Kong.