With some of the best thoroughbreds in the world competing for Group 1 glory and world-class prize-money amidst a carnival atmosphere, racing fans from all over the world enjoyed the very best in Hong Kong racing at the International Races meeting last Sunday.

The HKIR is now the biggest show in Hong Kong but it will continue to improve until the objective of staging the Turf World Championships is reached.

The International Races have long been attracting top horses and racing personalities from the four corners of the globe, but the very successful International Jockey's Championship and Piaget Hong Kong International Sale mean that Hong Kong becomes the focal point for world horseracing each December.
  
As regards the International Races themselves and, in particular, performances of the home-based horses, there was plenty about which to enthuse.

Total prize-money earned by Hong Kong's horses increased from $5.17 million last year to $6 million in 2001. The 50% bonus, awarded to home-based HKIR stakes money earners brought this year's total to a handsome $9 million from $7.75 million 12 months ago.

The bonus scheme demonstrates the Hong Kong Jockey Club's drive to encourage owners to import top-class horses into Hong Kong and to richly reward those that succeed at the highest level.  

Hong Kong owners have won $23 million over the past three International meetings that have yielded one local winner (Fairy King Prawn in the Hong Kong Sprint in 1999) and on 22 different occasions Hong Kong horses picked up stakes money, including three runners-up finishes and four third-placed runs.      

In terms of prize-money won last Sunday, only Japan and the United Arab Emirates fared better than Hong Kong. Australia, the US, UK, France and Germany all lagged behind.

It was encouraging to watch All Thrills Too confirm himself as one of the brightest young stars in Hong Kong with a tremendous third-placed run in the Sprint - a race that delivered an identical finish to 2000 with Falvelon just edging out Morluc. This outcome may give the Jockey Club a strong case to argue when it applies to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities for the Sprint to be upgraded to Group One status for next year.
 
Electronic Unicorn turned in a true Group One performance and only found Eishin Preston, one of the most impressive Group One Mile winners anywhere in the world this year, too strong. Red Pepper and Charming City also delivered promising runs in the same race.  

Japan's Stay Gold upheld his tall reputation coming into the Hong Kong Vase with a thrilling victory over Ekraar, under an enterprising ride from Frankie Dettori. Hong Kong's Indigenous finished a very creditable third.  

And there were many fine performances in the Cup, of course. Agnes Digital, stamped himself as one of the leading 2000-metre performers in the world, while some likely future stars in Tobougg, Terre A Terre, Hawkeye completed the placings.

In a truly international event, the former Indian Classic winner Saddle Up, now trained in Singapore, ran a very creditable race in sixth place, just three lengths off the winner.  

The Jockey Club hopes that these horses can take up future invites to race in Hong Kong. Fantastic Light and Falvelon, for example, have already demonstrated that winning in Hong Kong in December does not hinder the prospects of subsequent Group One glory in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.  

Prize-money for the 2002 Hong Kong International Races will be reviewed next year as the top-dollar purses on offer remain of paramount importance.

Now that AP QEII Cup has been added to the World Racing Series roster, Hong Kong has become the second racing jurisdiction after the US to host more than one leg of the series. Following the addition of the Singapore Airlines International Cup, the first three legs of the Series will be held in Asian Racing Federation countries and that ARF nations will host six of the 14 races in the Series meaning that Asian-based horse will have better opportunities to win the Series outright.  Further diversity may well also arrive via the expected participation by South African-bred horses in next year's series.  

As for the very successful International Jockey's Championship, there is the possibility of reviewing the points scoring system and expanding it into a four-leg championship from three.