RACING INFORMATION

Last year's champion "Industrialist" (right)

• Racecourse
• Bedding, Fodder & Water
• Shoeing
• Veterinary Requirements
• Medication and Prohibited Substances
• Blinkers, Hoods, Pacifiers, Visors and Tongue Ties
• Nasal Dilators, Dropped Nosebands and Any Other Unspecified Equipment
• Bandages
• Licensing
• Whip
• Testing of Jockeys
• Body Protector
• Advertisements and Sponsorship Material
• Apprentices
• Pre-race Meeting
• Weather / Going
• Abandonment of Races

Bedding, Fodder & Water

1. The HKJC imports fodder from Australia, the mainland of China, France, South Africa, the UK and the USA. A large selection of proprietary feeds are available.
2. Two types of bedding are available: rice straw and newspaper strips.
3. The stables' water supply is normal domestic drinking water. In addition, a sterilised/filtered water unit is installed in each stable block.
4. Importation of feed and water, subject to examination, is permitted within the limitation of aircraft space.
5. It is highly recommended that any special dietry supplements such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, electrolytes etc. that a horse may require, be brought with it for its use, subject to clearance by the HKJC Veterinary Department.

Shoeing

1. All horses must race fitted with four aluminium plates (shoes). No horse shall be permitted race unshod.
2. The HKJC farriers will be available for shoeing if required.
3. Trainers are advised that the approval of the HKJC's Senior Veterinary Surgeon must first be obtained for the plating of horses for racing in any way other than with nailed on plain shoes. The use of any substance between the plate and the hoof, such as wedges, leathers, etc also requires inspection and the approval of the Senior Veterinary Surgeon.
4. Glue-on aluminium racing plates will be permitted if necessary, subject to approval by the Club's Senior Veterinary Surgeon.
5. Calks, toe grabs or other devices which may represent a danger to other horses are not permitted under the Rules of Racing of the HKJC.

Veterinary Requirements

1. All invited horses will be subject to a stringent pre-travel veterinary inspection by the Club's appointed veterinary surgeons before departure to Hong Kong. At this inspection the veterinary surgeon must be provided with a list of all medications including doses and dates, administered to the horse during the previous month and similarly of any anabolic steroids administered to the horse during the previous six months. Any medications administered to the horse following this inspection must be immediately declared to the Senior Veterinary Surgeon upon its arrival in Hong Kong. It is vitally important to note that all medications administered to the horse must be declared, irrespective of whether or not they are considered as, or containing, prohibited substances, under the rules of racing in any other racing jurisdiction.
2. A Pre-travel Elective Testing Service is available to assist horse connections determine whether or not their horses are free of previously administered therapeutic medications. Please note that this is an advisory service only, the official samples are those collected in Hong Kong.
3. On arrival at the quarantine stables in Hong Kong all horses will be required to submit blood and urine samples for analysis for prohibited substances. Any horse reported positive to anabolic steroids or any other undeclared medications, as a result of the above test, will not be permitted to race and the respective owner shall be charged all travel and accommodation expenses for the horse and all connections.
4. Trainers are advised that anabolic steroids may be detected for several months and they will be held responsible for ensuring that their horses are free of anabolic steroids prior to departure for Hong Kong.
5. No horse shall be accepted for emplaning unless it is certified by a qualified registered veterinary surgeon to be correctly vaccinated against equine influenza in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations. This applies to the primary course, first booster injection and yearly booster vaccination. The minimum requirement is for every horse to have received both vaccinations of the primary course for equine influenza prior to coming to Hong Kong. In addition, all horses competing in the International Races must have been vaccinated within the past six months but not during the 14 days preceding raceday. Certified documentary evidence of such vaccinations must be available for inspection by the HKJC and Government Officials.
6. Connections of horses taking part must refer to compulsory Government health requirements (certification, vaccinations, blood tests, examination etc) before exporting their horses to Hong Kong and to similar requirements for their return journeys.
7. Visiting horses will be allocated specific quarantine stables, training times and places, and all notices and instructions (written and verbal) issued by HKJC and Government officials relating to these matters must be strictly complied with. Access to the quarantine units is strictly restricted to authorised persons only.
8. All runners in Hong Kong are required to pass a pre-race veterinary inspection before declaration time. This inspection will be held after track work on Wednesday, 18 April 2001.

Medication and Prohibited Substances

1. The Rules of Racing of the HKJC are based on medication-free participation and, therefore, all runners in Hong Kong are tested pre-race for prohibited substances. Selected horses are also tested post-race.
2. The Rules state: "The Stewards have full power to withdraw at their discretion any declared runner if a pre-race test taken from such horse is reported by the Senior Racing Chemist or his authorised deputy as positive or potentially positive for the presence of any substance other than a substance attributable to normal and ordinary feeding, originating externally, whether or not it is endogenous to the horse."
3. The trainer may also be punished according to the Rules of Racing if a horse which was declared to start in a race is found to have received a Prohibited Substance.
4. Whilst in Hong Kong no treatment of any sort may be given to any runner without permission from the HKJC's Senior Veterinary Surgeon and all treatments may only be administered by a HKJC Veterinary Surgeon. If in doubt about treatment of any sort, the person responsible for the horse should contact one of the HKJC's veterinary surgeons. It must be noted that any person providing veterinary services in Hong Kong must be registered with the Veterinary Surgeons Board of Hong Kong.
5. The prohibited substances under the Rules of Racing of the HKJC are :-
   Substances capable at any time of acting on one or more of the following mammalian body systems:-
   

   the nervous system the cardiovascular system the respiratory system the digestive system the urinary system the reproductive system the musculoskeletal system the blood system the immune system other than those in licensed vaccines the endocrine system

   Endocrine secretions and their synthetic counterparts
   Masking agents

Blinkers, Hoods, Pacifiers, Visors and Tongue Ties

Blinkers, hoods, pacifiers, visors and tongue ties must be registered on the declaration form before declarations close at 8:00 am on Thursday, 19 April 2001.

Nasal Dilators, Dropped Nosebands and Any Other Unspecified Equipment

Nasal dilators and dropped nosebands are not permitted to be used on horses racing in Hong Kong and any other unspecified equipment may not be fitted to a runner without prior permission of the HKJC's Senior Veterinary Surgeon or the Stewards.

Bandages

Bandages used in races must be secured to the satisfaction of the Stewards and Veterinary Surgeons and in particular the ends of sticky adhesive bandages must be stitched in place with a contrasting colour thread.

Licensing

Licences for visiting Trainers and Jockeys will be issued on arrival. Visiting Jockeys are required to arrive in Hong Kong at least a day prior to the race day. A Jockey's licence will permit the holder to accept offers to ride in any race on Sunday, 22 April 2001.

Whip

All whips used in races and in training must be of a design which complies with the requirements of the Stewards.

Testing of Jockeys

The HKJC tests Jockeys for alcohol and drugs of abuse. All Jockeys are therefore required to be in the Jockeys Room, Sha Tin Racecourse at least one hour before the first race.

The Prohibited Substances (Rider) under the Rules of Racing of the HKJC are:

The current maximum level of alcohol allowed under the Jockey Club Rules is 22 micrograms of ethanol per 100 millilitres of breath.

Body Protector

All Jockeys and track work riders are required to wear a body protector of a design approved by the Stewards of the HKJC. To compensate for Jockeys being required to wear body protectors the weight of all Jockeys will be calculated at one pound less than the weight which is registered on the scale.

Advertisements and Sponsorship Material

Unless otherwise approved by the Stewards of the Jockey Club, no licensed person or member of the stable staff shall wear any item of clothing displaying any advertising material.

Apprentices

No apprentice allowance may be claimed.

Pre-race Meeting

Overseas Trainers and Jockeys are required to attend a meeting with the Race Meeting Stewards before the first race on raceday, Sunday, 22 April, in the Enquiry Room at Sha Tin Racecourse.

Weather / Going

April weather in Hong Kong is usually dry with temperatures averaging 20 (68 ) to 25 (77 ). The state of the 'going' at this time of year is normally 'Good to Firm'.

Abandonment of Races

The Stewards of the HKJC reserve the right to postpone or to abandon the races at their discretion.