Hong Kong Expands Number of Open Races

The Hong Kong Jockey Club has announced it will open 17 races currently restricted to Hong Kong resident horses to international competition effective from the start of the 2016-17 season.

This season, 14 races in Hong Kong are open to international competition, 11 at the group I level and three at the group II level. All open group races must be free of geographically based conditions of entry in regards to the place of a horse's birth, training or ownership.



The HKJC said 14 of the newly opened races held restricted rating bands which would be removed following this update. The number of open races would total 31 in the 2016-2017 season.



"The Asian Pattern Committee, which met this week in Mumbai at the Asian Racing Conference, was delighted with the decision of the club to open these races and sees this as a major step in the development of the globalization of Hong Kong racing," said Anthony Kelly, executive director of racing business and operations.



"This is a logical progression for Hong Kong in line with the direction and consistent advances the club has made in recent years. The high number of horses included in the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings and the impressive number of races among the World's Top 100 Races serve as just two signposts of this growth."



The Hong Kong Classic Mile, Hong Kong Classic Cup and BMW Hong Kong Derby will remain restricted to Hong Kong resident horses.



"We thought it prudent to identify the upcoming change for the long-term planning benefits of the connections of both Hong Kong-based horses and potential overseas runners," Kelly said. "There is still more work to be done in the coming months connected to this update and some of the exact adjustments are not final"