Year of the Rabbit races gallop to HK$2 billion-plus turnover for Hong Kong Jockey Club, biggest result in 25 years
- Amount falls short of the HK$2.54 billion recorded in June 1997, but Hong Kong Jockey Club chief ‘delighted’ by result
- Crowds flock to Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses with more than 84,000 people at the tracksides
Punters wagered across the 11 races at Sha Tin on Tuesday and, although the take was beaten by a distance by the record HK$2.54 billion gambled in June 1997 it was a healthy 10.1 per cent increase on last year’s event.
Almost 80,000 people clicked through the Sha Tin turnstiles and the official crowd stood at 84,394 – 79,354 at Sha Tin and 5,040 watching from Happy Valley – the biggest turnout since the 2019 Lunar New Year races.
“We are absolutely delighted with today’s race meeting. The atmosphere was really fantastic and it brought back what we always felt – that Lunar New Year is a very special race meeting,” Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“If you look at the business results with the highest turnover since the handover, it’s an amazing achievement.”
The Lunar New Year card drew a bigger crowd than the prestigious Longines Hong Kong International Races last month, with fans shoulder to shoulder in front of a packed grandstand after they flocked to see a pre-races performance by Cantopop star Joey Yung Cho-yee.
The crowds were a stark contrast to the 2022 Lunar New Year meeting, which was held behind closed doors.
