Hong Kong demonstrations contribute to expected decrease in Sha Tin attendance

The pro-democracy demonstrations in Hong Kong contributed to a 71 per cent drop in attendance for Sha Tin's biggest day of the year on Sunday.

The crowd of 27,965 was down from 96,388 for the same day in 2018 but, given the recent Hong Kong Opens in tennis and snooker were victims of the social unrest in the city, the Hong Kong Jockey Club did remarkably well to ensure its marquee meeting went ahead without any incident.

Despite the significantly smaller crowd, betting turnover on the Hong Kong pool was an eyewatering HK$1.71 billion on the day (£167 million), and was up £10 million on the 2018 figure.

There were a further 3,000 who visited Happy Valley racecourse, which opened its doors for Hong Kong racing fans to enjoy the ten-race card which was dominated by Japanese-trained horses who won three of the four Group 1s.

A planned protest, which began at Victoria Park, ran in tandem with the Sha Tin show and, as HKJC director of racing William Nader suggested in Friday's Racing Post, the crowds at Sha Tin were severely affected by the demonstration.

Runners in the Jim And Tonic Handicap at Sha TinCredit: Edward Whitaker

"We're more than delighted about the turnover, we couldn't have expected turnover like we had today,” said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, HKJC chief executive.

"The major growth seen today came from commingling turnover, which has been amazing. This shows that our strategy of globalisation, of making Hong Kong racing – with our integrity, with all the excitement, with the deep liquidity in our pool – available to the world, is working."

Engelbrecht-Bresges added: "But today was not about the turnover. It was about the sport and also how it showed the resilience of Hong Kong racing, and the excellence of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. It is a day to celebrate because, despite a lot of challenges, we have staged something I don't think many organisations in the world could have.

"The quality and the excitement we have seen shows what Hong Kong racing is all about. It’s about world-class sport and that is what makes us a unique value proposition."

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