HKJC growth strategies outlined in CEO pre-season press event as 2016/17 season commences next week

27/08/2016

The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, hosted his annual pre-season press conference at Sha Tin Racecourse today (Saturday, 27 August) ahead of the new season, which begins on Saturday, 3 September.

“Following a successful 2015/16 campaign which yielded the second-highest turnover in the history of the Club, we are duly prepared to embark on the first 88-meeting season in Hong Kong racing” said Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges. “The stage is set for a phenomenal season.”

Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges recapped the goals of the Club’s decade-long growth, which have transformed Hong Kong into one of the world’s leading racing jurisdictions.

“Our aim has been to develop racing to a truly world-class level, and we have done this through a variety of factors,” he said. “Nearly one-quarter of the world’s top 25 races are conducted in Hong Kong, and we have grown from having just one horse in the world rankings in 1998 to more than 20 in each of the last three seasons. To ensure this level of success, we have maintained prize money increases to incentivise our Owners to import world-class horses. We strive to achieve the highest integrity within our racing product, ensure a level playing field for fair competition, and provide our customers with unlimited access to information, enabling them to make the most informed decisions possible when betting on our races.”

The final turnover figures from the completed 2015/16 season showed that overseas customers have exhibited a rising interest in the Club’s races following the introduction of commingling and more growth is anticipated in the new term.

“Last season, commingling turnover was HK$3.5 billion, up by 31.5 percent compared to the previous season, and representing 3.3 percent of total racing turnover. Commingling will be a key growth driver going forward. Both the United Kingdom and Canada are due to join our growing list of commingling partners in the first half of the season and we continue to have fruitful discussions with potential new partners beyond that, specifically in Ireland and the many European countries affiliated with French-based PMU.”

Casting an eye towards the future, Mr. Engelbrecht-Bresges briefed attendees on the Club’s Conghua Training Centre construction.

“I cannot stress enough how important Conghua is to allow us to further develop our world-class racing product. The construction is progressing well in time for opening in July 2018. Conghua offers us the opportunity to provide a world-class training facility while addressing our ageing facilities in Sha Tin, built to requirements 40 years ago,” he said.

“Over the last season, we have achieved several key milestones in terms of operational readiness in Conghua. We successfully completed our first cross-border horse movement trial in February 2016 and plan to obtain all approvals necessary within the coming year to import all drugs, supplements, feed and bedding. We have also obtained permission for all of our Hong Kong veterinarians to practice in China.

“Most important to our operations in China is the quality of our workforce. We have actively solicited input from trainers, jockeys and stable staff in the design of this new workplace and our Racing Development Board, which has successfully developed training modules in Hong Kong, will apply the same methodology to train our local staff in Conghua.

“Earlier this year we conducted our first ever work-rider recruitment in Guangdong, attracting over 1,300 applicants. Following rigorous fitness tests with trainers and assistant trainers deeply involved in the process, 33 candidates were eventually recruited as trainee work riders. A first batch of 15 began training in July and the second batch will commence training in November. We have a dedicated staff training facility at the Huangcun Sports Training Centre, located in Guangzhou, and our Mainland recruits will go through extensive training both in Huangcun and Hong Kong, to ensure full integration into our system.

“The Conghua Training Centre will further position us uniquely to take advantage of this opportunity if there is a policy change in China on racing’s development.”

Mr. Anthony Kelly, Executive Director, Racing Business and Operations, communicated the enhancements to owners’ incentives for the new season, focused on the prize money increases. The Chairman’s Sprint Prize purse has increased from $10 million to $14 million while the Champions Mile has been boosted from $14 million to $16 million. Increases to class racing prize money averaged 5.2% for the season, with a record of more than HK$1.1 billion scheduled for distribution. The full chart outlining the increases to prize money in class handicaps is below.

Mr. Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing Authority, briefed attendees on the Club’s recently concluded Racing Trainee recruitment campaign, which experienced application growth of more than 50 percent from the previous year, and recounted the development of apprentice jockeys through the Racing Development Board, with three currently active in Australia and New Zealand. Mr. Harding added the apprentices will be further benefitted by the Club’s newest Chief Riding Instructor, legendary jockey Felix Coetzee.

Mr. Richard Cheung, the Club’s Executive Director, Customer and Marketing, outlined the new venues at both Happy Valley and Sha Tin Racecourses, the latest developments in the third phase of the HK$6.7 billion Racecourse Master Plan.

Meeting the increasing demand for seating within The Racing Club (TRC), an expanded venue encompassing 80 seats will provide diversified dining options for TRC members. Located on the ninth floor of the Pavilion Stand, the new venue will be known as the Hong Kong Kitchen, featuring local Hong Kong-style food with a luxury ambiance. Semi-private rooms are also available and a new bridge, constructed to connect the Hong Kong Kitchen with existing TRC venues in the Members’ Stand, enables members to easily enjoy racing and mingle with friends. This new venue is expected to open in January 2017.

Three venues for the public have been renovated for the new season. Both the expanded Digital Zone (Grandstand II 1/F) and relocated Tourist Zone (Grandstand II 2/F) will open in September, while a third venue, JUMP (Grandstand II 2/F), a lifestyle cafe with a focus on technology and racing information for younger, leisure-based customers, will open in December 2016.

Seating in the Digital Zone has been expanded by 66 seats to cope with the growth and popularity amongst younger public customers, and will continue to offer an immersive digital experience, including Racing Touch tables, paid seats with exclusive use of iPads, TV walls and interactive programmes. Professional riding simulators have been added to allow customers the chance to experience the thrill, and necessary skill required, to be a jockey.

The dedicated Tourist Zone has been relocated to a larger space to serve the growing interest in the Racecourse as a destination for visitors to Hong Kong. The Tourist Zone, which will encompass a racing familiarization programme with a special focus on Mandarin-speaking customers, can accommodate up to 1,000 people.

JUMP continues the strategy of providing a lifestyle-based venue for casual leisure-based customers. The venue features Racing Touch tables and virtual reality simulators to create an exciting gaming experience. New technology, racing information and unique seating arrangements will offer convenience and comfort, while the Club’s Racing Specialists will also seek to develop racing interest and knowledge amongst customers. JUMP will offer a total seating capacity of 250.

For enquiries, please call the HKJC's Customer Hotline 1817 or visit www.hkjc.com. All racegoers must be aged 18 or above.

Attachment: Racecourse Master Plan - New Venues (Season 2016/17)