Hong Kong Diaries

When I was invited to be part of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s inaugural social media team for this year’s Longines Hong Kong International Races, I was beyond flattered and obviously incredibly excited. I’ve always heard that racing in Hong Kong was the best experience in the world, and I’ve wanted to visit the two tracks here – Happy Valley in the middle of the city and Sha Tin located just outside of town – since I can remember.
When the day finally arrived for the trip to China, I meet up with the other New York-based members of the social media team (ABR’s Dan Tordjman and Victoria Garofalo as well as Horse Racing Radio Network’s Acacia Courtney) at JFK airport and got ready for our 16-hour voyage to Hong Kong.

The plane ride was long but fascinating; I was lucky enough to score a window seat, and over the course of the journey saw some unbelievable views, including the tundra of Siberia covered in snow.
 
When we finally landed, our group had to pause to snap a selfie before cruising past customs and making our way to downtown Hong Kong to check into the media hotel.

One (very) early bedtime later, it was time for the real adventure to begin. The horses running in the Longines Hong Kong International Races (AKA #HKIR) all train at Sha Tin Racecourse, so the social media team assembled at the crack of dawn to board a bus to take us to the legendary track with smiles of anticipation lighting up everyone’s face.

Once there, we were treated to seeing some of the most outstanding grass runners on Earth training for Sunday’s races. This is a scene that we’ve repeated each morning, and it’s been amazing to see such talented racehorses from so many different nations training for these premiere races.
One of the first sights greeting us were the barrier tests in the morning at Sha Tin. This is when local horses train coming out of the starting gate; however, unlike similar training in the US, these horses train in groups large enough to be a full racing field!

I was overjoyed to see Highland Reel, who won the Secretariat Stakes this summer at Chicago’s Arlington Park. He looks sensational, and I think he may be a sneaky pick for me on Sunday when he runs in the Longines Hong Kong Vase.

Mongolian Saturday, one of two US-based horses, is my personal favorite here. He stole hearts with his win in the Breeders’ Cup TwinSpires Turf Sprint on Halloween, and he’s clearly beloved by the people who take care of him. I can’t wait to see him run in Sunday’s Longines Hong Kong Sprint! 

Japan’s A Shin Hikari, a Longines Hong Kong Cup contender, looks incredibly fit; he also wears a hood to block sound, which is a piece of equipment that you rarely see in the United States.

The whole time, the Hong Kong International Races social media team was sharing their experiences everywhere. We’re flooding SnapChat, Vine, Periscope, Twitter and Facebook with everything Hong Kong, from the races to the party scene, training hours and betting tips.

Speaking of the party scene, one of the first events we hit up was the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship photo call. Twelve top riders from around the globe were on hand at Happy Valley for the competition. I’m sure I’m biased, but I’m here to tell you that the United States’ own Victor Espinoza of American Pharoah fame positively stole the show. He was having a blast, bringing out the selfie stick and offering to show off his dance moves from his stint on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.

In fact, Victor invited the American contingent of the Social Media team to take a selfie with him, and of course we obliged! 

@EspinozasVictor @itsmevictoriag @chare889 @acacia_courtney @LosPonies @PenelopePMiller #TeamMurica #HKIR pic.twitter.com/TUDd7q0xfP
— Andrew Hawkins (@AndrewNJHawkins) December 8, 2015

Here’s the resulting selfie, by the way: 

Magic! 
I have to say, though, that my absolute favorite experience so far was spending Wednesday night at the races at Happy Valley. This beautiful racecourse is situated right in downtown Hong Kong, and I’ve truly never seen anything as awe-inspiring as Thoroughbreds competing over a pristine grass course with skyscrapers reaching into the night around them.

It was also a rare chance for me to get dressed up and enjoy the races as a fan and as a bettor, which is so much fun! Believe me, I cherish my stateside job working behind the scenes at racetracks, but being a fan at Happy Valley was a total blast. I got to wear one of my favorite dresses and a killer pair of heels, hang out with some friends, and take in the scene at what I think is literally the coolest track in the world. 

Plus, the food was incredible, the horses beautiful, the setting breathtaking and the gift shop unparalleled. Look: anywhere I can purchase a plush likeness of a society’s favorite race horse (in Hong Kong’s case, that would be Able Friend) is going to rank highly in my book!

We ran into Victor outside the jockeys’ room at Happy Valley, and he was also having a blast.

But probably the best part of the night was the fact that the Hong Kong social media team actually won the Six Up bet! That’s a wager where you have to pick either the first- or second-place finisher in six designated consecutive races, and it’s not an easy task.
One of the things that I loved about Happy Valley and the Hong Kong experience so far is the level of attention paid to new fans of horse racing. Betting on horses can be intimidating for people who don’t often visit the track; even for players who bet races consistently in other countries, reading a foreign form can be enough to scare one off of wagering. That’s why the Hong Kong Jockey Club has gone to great lengths to help people learn how to bet there, implementing everything from ambassadors who help people out on a one-on-one level to interactive apps that explain the process. 
Once we got the idea of how we wanted to bet the Wednesday night races, the twelve of us pooled our cash at the beginning of the evening, and then our wagering masterminds Candice Hare, Harriet Fuller and Dan Tordjman put together the winning combination. 
It was all fun and games until we got to the final race of the Six Up, when we realized that we didn’t have the favorite included in the ticket. Nerves set in. 

But when our horse came in to win the last race, pandemonium broke loose as we realized that we might cash a major ticket.

Photo courtesy of Catherine Wong, Hong Kong Jockey Club
And we did! For a $2,600 HK investment (roughly $335 American total or $28 per person) we earned back $35,000 HK total, which is one heck of a score! It worked out to a return of about $325 per bettor, so needless to say our group was thrilled.

We just took down the Pick Six!!!!!!!!!!!!! #HKIR #HappyValley #HappyWednesday pic.twitter.com/iSs4EHb8z5
— Penelope P. Miller (@PenelopePMiller) December 9, 2015

We all got together to pose with our winning ticket (shown below clutched in my hot little hand!) as well the resulting cash from the score.

Photos courtesy of Catherine Wong, Hong Kong Jockey Club
And here I am with the receipt after we cashed the ticket. It was a banner moment in my life!

It was the perfect way to end the first half of #HKIR week. 
Horse racing in Hong Kong is definitely a bucket-list destination. While it may seem daunting to fly across the world, the scene and excitement surrounding the Longines Hong Kong International Races has appeal for everyone. I urge you to consider this as a destination in future years; so far, it’s been the trip of a lifetime for me, and I’m already planning to buy a ticket to come back next year. Seriously: it’s that good. 
I’ll post again before the Longines Hong Kong International Races on Sunday to give you my picks for each race; but until then, if you want to follow our social media crew to find out more about #HKIR, here are links to our Twitter handles: 
Acacia Courtney: https://twitter.com/acacia_courtney
Andrew Rideout: https://twitter.com/thoroughbredAR
Bri Mott: https://twitter.com/fashionatraces
Calum Madell: https://twitter.com/calummadell
Candice Hare: https://twitter.com/chare889
Dan Tordjman: https://twitter.com/danonymousman
Graham Pavey: https://twitter.com/longballtonoone
Harriet Fuller: https://twitter.com/hattielfuller
Jose Contreras: https://twitter.com/losponies
Keith McCalmont: https://twitter.com/tripledeadheat
Victoria Garofalo: https://twitter.com/itsmevictoriag
And yours truly, Penelope Miller: https://twitter.com/penelopepmiller 
Thank you for stopping by, and I’ll be back very soon with more dispatches from Hong Kong!