HKJC Partnership Zeroes In on Registration

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Sept. 22 announced a partnership with the China Horse Industry Association, the mainland authority that oversees horse registration, equine drug testing, and the development of veterinary care. 

 

The HKJC and CHIA, the two key stakeholders in developing racing and breeding in China, signed a memorandum of understanding at the Ministry of Agriculture in Beijing on Tuesday, marking a new milestone in the cooperation between the two entities in building a comprehensive system for the development of the Thoroughbred industry there.

 

The partnership covers the HKJC's support of modernizing the China Stud Book, an indispensable resource in the long-term advancement of the horse industry in the mainland. The club will also play a key role in developing an effective doping control program while also supporting the planning of an equine hospital in Beijing, and assisting in ongoing horse care and veterinary training.

 

"There is not one horse passport in China and a lot of racing and breeding horses which are unregistered," Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges told the South China Morning Post. "We helped establish the stud book but there has been no incentive for people to register their horses.

 

"One idea that we are thinking about is offering incentives, perhaps prize money bonuses for race winners which are correctly registered. It is going to take a few years but, in the vastness of China, we must establish the principle that horses arrive in the country and have to be registered. A fundamental for racing and breeding is correct identification and traceability."

 

Andrew Harding, the HKJC's executive director-racing authority, said an internationally engaged identification system, along with effective doping control is a necessity foundation for the successful growth of the Thoroughbred industry in China. 

 

"The club is looking forward to sharing its expertise with the CHIA in these and other areas, assisting China on the path to earn recognition from regional and international industry bodies," Harding said.

 

With more than 500 former HKJC racehorses now retired in the mainland and the ongoing development of the Conghua Training Center, enhancing veterinary standards is of great interest to the club, the HKJC said in a release.