Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges has lauded the 2024 Hong Kong International Races as "one of the best days of racing" in Hong Kong racing history.
"I personally think it was one of the best, if not the best, Longines Hong Kong International Races and an incredible week. Starting with the Longines International Jockeys' Championship, it was an amazing success. Today, we hoped to create a highlight and I personally think everything went to perfection," he said. "When one looks purely at the results, it was a tremendous success for Hong Kong horses but our overseas horses also ran really well. When you talk to the overseas owners, even if their horses finished second or third, they say it was a wonderful experience to come to Hong Kong and support the meeting."
On a day when Hong Kong racing shimmered on the international stage,Sha Tin welcomed 69,916 attendees—the highest HKIR attendance since 2018 while turnover reached HK$1,716.3 million (approx. US$220.61 million), including a commingling record of HK$473.8 million (US$60.9m)—an increase of 10% on last year.
Engelbrecht-Bresges thanked international and local owners, trainers and jockeys as well as Club staff for the staging of a landmark meeting.
"Our strategy to bring the best races from Hong Kong and show them overseas is really proving a great success with our races today for the first time under the World Pool banner, which shows our racing product is extremely well received," Engelbrecht-Bresges said. "Today is not about the turnover. Today is about the sport—it was a fantastic spectacle. The crescendo was the fireworks to close this wonderful meeting. We have one new racing fan in Sir Alex (Ferguson). He was absolutely enthused about Hong Kong and what he saw, so he promised me to come back.
"This meeting attracts a global audience, global recognition and this reflects positively on Hong Kong.
"We would like to thank all the owners, trainers, jockeys who have brought their horses here because we can make this a global event only if we have the support of the owners, trainers and jockeys from overseas."
