The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) hosted a combined ‘Racing with Rugby’ event last night, which brought both horseracing and rugby fans together at the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Through its partnership with Hong Kong China Rugby (HKCR) and the Hong Kong Football Club (HKFC), the 10s tournament was held during the daytime.
Then, in the evening, fans got to experience the usual Happy Wednesday race night at Happy Valley.
The HKFC 10s tournament was originally scheduled for a different day, but was brought forward to align with Happy Wednesday race night and allow spectators to watch both events.
Any HKFC 10s ticket holders were also invited to take part in exclusive Happy Wednesday promotions for racing fans.
A celebration dinner was also held, which was attended by Rosanna Law, HKSAR Government Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism; Martin Liao, HKJC Chairman; Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, HKJC CEO; Chris Brooke, HKCR Chairman; and Nicholas Hunsworth, HKFC President and HKJC Steward.
Liao thanked the HKSAR Government for its continued support of horseracing in Hong Kong, as well as HKCR and the HKFC for their partnership in bringing the two sports together.
Both horseracing and rugby are popular sports in Hong Kong, and these joint events create a natural opportunity for fans of one sport to be introduced to the other.
Live music acts were also invited to play during the day, which created a carnival-like atmosphere and tourism prospects outside the sports themselves.
The HKJC has seen record-breaking tourism attendance this season, with events such as this credited with its growing popularity.
Despite this, some local figures are concerned about the financial pressure the HKJC is under regarding the new betting infrastructure it has invested in over the past few years.
This comes after the Home Affairs and Youth Bureau suspended the launch of regulated basketball betting, citing concerns for the popularity of prediction markets in the US.
The HKJC this year serves as the Official Community Partner of the HKFC 10s, and continues its role as the Official Community Partner of the Hong Kong Sevens for the fifth year
