Crowned by a string of record-breaking highs and global accolades, a spectacular 2025/26 Hong Kong racing season drew to a close at Happy Valley July 15.
In total, racing fans enjoyed 88 race meetings this season, including seven summer series fixtures, comprising 865 Hong Kong races and 492 overseas simulcast races.
Total racing wagering turnover for the season was HK$143.31 billion (US$18.28 billion), representing a 3.2% increase on the 2024/25 season. This marks an encouraging return to growth, reflecting the success of strategies introduced last year amid a range of challenges.
Turnover growth was driven primarily by improved field sizes and the continued success of the Club's globalisation strategy through commingling, simulcasting and the World Pool.
Notably, Hong Kong races attracted record commingling turnover of HK$34.4 billion (approx. £3.2b), an 8.3% increase on the 2024/25 season. This strong performance reflects the high international profile of Hong Kong racing, with 26 countries and more than 60 partners now participating in commingling. A notable highlight was the Chinese New Year Raceday in February, when commingling turnover surged to HK$523.56 million (approx. £49.5m), setting a new record for a single race meeting and surpassing HK$500 million for a second consecutive year.
Hong Kong fans were able to enjoy more of the world's finest races this season thanks to the Hong Kong SAR Government's approval in June 2025 to progressively add additional simulcasts as a means to combat illegal gambling on overseas racing. This season, the Club offered 492 simulcast races, which focused on showcasing the world's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 races. In total, 99 overseas races that had been included in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' (IFHA) Top 100 Group 1 at least once in the previous three years were simulcast, up from 71 in the previous season. Overall, turnover on simulcasting (including World Pool commingling) increased by 23.5% to HK$16.20 billion (approx. £1.53b).
Through the World Pool, the Club aims to offer global pari-mutuel wagering with deep liquidity on the very best international races. This season, the number of World Pool races increased from 296 to 397. These included all 12 of the Club's Group 1 races, as well as some leading races or meetings for the first time such as the Australian Guineas, All Aged Stakes and Golden Slipper from Australia. Commingling turnover into the World Pool (excluding Club races) recorded a 27.7% increase over the 2024/25 season.
Next season, the progressive expansion of simulcasts will see 70 simulcast days and 55 simulcast races. This expansion enables the Club to cover most of the IFHA World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 races and enhances its ability to combat illegal betting while reinforcing Hong Kong's position as a global leader in horse racing wagering.
Ka Ying Rising, Romantic Warrior Star
The towering achievements of Hong Kong's equine superstars—Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior—showcased the city's world-class racing to a global audience with flawless, unbeaten seasons, timed to perfection to celebrate the Year of the Horse.
With a combined 10 Group 1 victories between them, the pair spent much of the season at the top of the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings, with Ka Ying Rising (131) at joint No. 1 in the standings and Romantic Warrior (126) equal third.
Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: "This has been an outstanding season, and we really could not have wished for anything more in terms of equine excellence, especially in the Year of the Horse. Hong Kong's titans, Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior, have elevated Hong Kong racing to an unprecedented level. It is an extraordinary achievement to have two Hong Kong horses ranked at the top of the LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings for much of the season - Ka Ying Rising at Number One and Romantic Warrior, who was at Number Two for much of this year. They have given the Year of the Horse celebrations even more significance as we pay tribute to Hong Kong's unique passion for the horse and horse racing."
"Led by Ka Ying Rising, Romantic Warrior, Voyage Bubble and My Wish, Hong Kong horses won 12 of the world's top Group 1 races in 2025/26, while 11 of the city's 12 elite races were included in the 2025 LONGINES World's Top 100 Group 1 races. In addition, 10 Hong Kong-trained horses received an international rating of 115 or higher in the year-ending 2025 LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings. This is an amazing accomplishment given that Hong Kong has a pool of about 1,300 horses in training - or less than 1% of the world's racehorse population."
The exceptional quality of Hong Kong horses was illustrated at Hong Kong's two international flagship events, the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and FWD Champions Day. Competing against 29 overseas runners from four different nations and jurisdictions, Hong Kong's finest triumphed in six of seven Group 1 races.
"Hong Kong racing is truly world-class and I am immensely proud of the performances of our champion horses, jockeys and trainers. The achievements of once-in-a-lifetime horses such as Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior reflect tremendously on the expertise, dedication and passion of our trainers and jockeys as well as the strong commitment of our owners, who continue to make significant investments to secure the best available equine talent," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
Ka Ying Rising's ascent to become the world's top racehorse followed a string of stellar victories. He became the first overseas-trained horse to win the world's richest race on turf, The Everest (1200m) in Sydney, Australia. During the season, he not only broke Silent Witness's record of 17 consecutive Hong Kong wins set nearly 21 years ago, but extended his winning streak to 20 by the end of the season. Along the way, he posted a new Sha Tin 1400m track record and twice lowered his own 1200m track record.
Hong Kong's other equine colossus, Romantic Warrior, confirmed his standing as one of the world's elite middle-distance gallopers with a fourth consecutive victory in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and a fourth triumph in the FWD QEII Cup. He was also only the third horse in Hong Kong racing history to claim the Triple Crown by landing the G1 Stewards' Cup, the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup in the same season. These victories boosted his world-record prizemoney earnings to more than HK$ 288 million.
Fittingly, in a historic first, Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior were declared joint winners of the coveted Hong Kong Champion Horse Award.
Meanwhile, new and rising stars made their mark. Among them Invincible Ibis, winner of the 2026 BMW Hong Kong Derby, Little Paradise, Stormy Grove and talented sprinter Hot Delight.
After a hard-fought title race, Caspar Fownes claimed the Hong Kong trainers' championship for the fifth time, while Zac Purton was crowned Hong Kong's champion jockey for a ninth time with 143 victories, and Jerry Chau won the Tony Cruz Award as leading homegrown jockey. Purton also become the first jockey to ride 2,000 winners in Hong Kong.
Prize money increases
Next season, prize money for The Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup will each increase by HK$1 million to HK$14 million (approx. £1.3m), while the Hong Kong Derby will rise by HK$2 million to HK$28 million (approx. £2.6m) for its 150th edition, representing an overall increase of 8% for the three races. In addition, the HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup over 1200m on the 26/27 Season Opener on 6 September will be promoted to G3 with increased prizemoney of HK$4.2 million (approx. £400,000).
Conghua Ready for Racing
The Club is well-advanced in its preparations for the launch of world class thoroughbred racing at its Conghua Racecourse in Guangzhou in October 2026. Together, Sha Tin, Happy Valley and Conghua will form a triangle of racecourses that will showcase the quality of the Club's horse racing sport and entertainment. Most importantly, they will also advance the Club's support for the National Equine Industry Development Plan, which seeks to develop a high-quality equine industry in the Chinese Mainland.
Following the completion of the iconic grandstand at Conghua, internal fitting-out work is currently in progress. A series of trials and simulations including racing and grandstand operations and hospitality services are underway to ensure operational readiness across every aspect of the raceday experience. The aim is to ensure that the races will be conducted according to the same world-class standards as in Hong Kong, ensuring consistency in integrity, safety and operational excellence.
For visitors, Conghua Racecourse will be a vibrant sports, culture and events destination, featuring a newly developed, immersive and high-quality visitor experience focusing on the sport of horse racing enhanced by digital technology. There will be no wagering on Conghua races.
"The milestone race meeting in Conghua Racecourse on 31 October will make a powerful statement to the world, underlining that Conghua is not only a state-of-the-art training centre but a racecourse capable of staging world-class racing in the Chinese Mainland. The highlight of our Year of the Horse celebrations, it will mark the launch of thoroughbred speed racing at Conghua on a regular basis, delivering the same world-class quality as in Hong Kong," said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges.
Moving beyond traditional formats, Conghua will also host competitive "Team Racing" in the future, providing a new and spectator-friendly dimension to the Conghua entertainment experience. The overall vision is for Conghua Racecourse to become a year-round, multi-faceted destination for learning, entertainment, and social connection.
"Through world-class racing, innovative team racing, and special events and carnivals we aim to attract high-end tourism from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and overseas. Equine sports will become a key driver in establishing Conghua as a tourist destination, which will stimulate the economy, boost multi-sector consumption across culture, sports, and tourism, advance the development of the equine industry value chain, inject new momentum into regional economic growth, and contribute significantly to economic growth in the Greater Bay Area," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges added.
More details will be announced closer to the start of racing at Conghua Racecourse.
Horse racing tourism continues surge
The Year of the Horse was the best-ever for horse racing tourism, with the Club's two Hong Kong racecourses welcoming a record 401,259 visits from Chinese Mainland and overseas tourists, reinforcing the city's position as an international tourism hub.
This was double the 195,786 tourist visits in the 2024/25 season and quadruple the 93,000 visits in the 2023/24 season - before horse racing tourism was first promoted in the Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address.
Major racedays, in particular, set new records. Five racedays each attracted over 10,000 tourists, with the Year of the Horse Raceday on 19 February setting an all-time record of 20,395 tourists.
This demonstrates the immense appeal of horse racing tourism and also the success of the Club's strategy to position Hong Kong's world-class racing as a premier tourism destination on the global stage.
"It has been a real pleasure to welcome so many tourists from overseas and the Chinese Mainland to our racecourses and to see how much they enjoy the unique quality of our racecourse experience, which is truly like no other. Racing tourism is already a top driver of sports tourism and an important pillar of Hong Kong's tourism development, and in collaboration with our partners in Hong Kong, overseas and the Chinese Mainland we look forward to welcoming many more tourists to our racecourses," Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
With the addition of Conghua Racecourse (CRC) to the Club's world-class racing next season, "Two Cities, Three Racecourses" is poised to extend the concept of racecourses as a hub of world-class sports and entertainment beyond Hong Kong to the Greater Bay Area, thereby strengthening Hong Kong's position as Asia's events capital.
*Figures in GBP are correct as of exchange rate on July 17, 2026.
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