Record turnover and increased crowds were the business highlights as the 2014/15 Hong Kong racing season came to a close at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Turnover for the season finale came in at HK$1.758 billion, up 5.8 per cent on last year’s record, the third consecutive season a new record has been established and the second time the figure has exceeded the HK$100 billion mark.
“The record turnover this year is the result of a lot of hard work,” Hong Jong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said in a statement.
“Since the 2005/2006 season, turnover has increased 79.7 per cent, which is testament to the successful strategies the Club has undertaken in that time to revitalise Hong Kong horse racing.”
Engelbrecht-Bresges pointed to the improved turnover on international racing.
“Comingling has been a major strategic initiative,” he said.
“We now have 11 comingling partners and if you look at today the comingling turnover was HK$50 million, which shows that we are growing and we will hopefully see a further increase going forward.”
Attendance across the season’s 83 race meetings at Hong Kong’s two racecourses, Sha Tin and Happy Valley, reached 2.071 million, the highest for 12 years and a 2.6 per cent increase on 2013/2014.
Joao Moreira was crowned champion jockey with 145 wins, 50 wins more than what his nearest rival and last season’s winner Zac Purton managed.
Able Friend was named Horse of the Year and his trainer John Moore secured the trainers’ title
www.racenet.com.au
Daryl Sherer