Bet On Your Favorite Horse In The Hong Kong Derby

In Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Derby is one of the most popular horse races of the year. In fact, the sport is quite popular all year. Racing typically takes place twice a week, on Wednesday nights and Sunday afternoons. Only thoroughbreds are raced.

Facts

About 25 minutes before an event starts the trainer will bring the jockey's gear and saddle down to the stall. A stable assistant helps make sure that the saddle is put on the horse the right way. If there is any additional gear worn by the horse, it is at this time that the trainer will make sure that it is all fitted appropriately. The animal will then be lead into the parade ring using a lead as a safety precaution. They are walked in a clockwise rotation and are kept at least 2 lengths away from each other. When the rider is legged on, the horse will be kept quite steady. Most of the time there will be no need for a lead as the jockey will ride straight out to the barrier. When going to the barrier they must ride in front of the stand unless the stewards have directed them otherwise. Attendants will help the jockey get the horse into position.

Races

In one season leading up to the Hong Kong Derby there are 83 meetings held. There are 2 held each week on average, one that occurs on Wednesday nights and another that takes place in the afternoon on either Saturday or Sunday. They also tend to have events on public holidays. The season typically runs from September through the middle of July. Some of the most popular events include the Hong Kong derby, the cup, the vase, the mile, the sprint, Champions Mile, and Aude mars Piquet Quell Cup. There are only flat races here, no hurdle or steeple ones are held. There are three main types, staying, middle distance, and sprints. The length determines the type and there are specific conditions and training preparations that are necessary for each one. Sprints are typically a thousand, 1100, 1200, or 1400 m. Middle distance consists of 1500 to 2000 meters. Any distance beyond this is called a staying.

History

This sport was brought in by the British and offers world class entertainment combined with a local culture. It started in 1845 at Happy Valley. The track was built in less than a year and the first race took place in December of 1846. In the year 1873, the first Derby was run. This replicated one of the classics of Britain. The sport became quite popular and the Jockey Club was established during 1884. This formalized the administration for the territory. The first secretary was appointed and the office was opened in 1907. During the early years membership to the club was limited to Colonial Europeans who lived in the area. Chinese members became eligible for membership in 1926. The club became professional in 1971. A second track was built in the year 1978 because of the fast growing need. Throughout the 1980s the popularity of the sport has continued to grow and there have been many upgrades to the tracks and other facilities to enhance the experience. There is a telephone betting system as well as many off course betting branches that are now fully computerized.

Standards

The standards and the purses of the country are some of the highest in the world. It is for this reason that the Jockey Club was selected to manage and organize the Equestrian events during the 2008 Olympics. The highest revenues are found at the Hong Kong Derby, which is why many of the top riders and owners choose to race here.