Uncertainty and speculation mounts amid fears racing could cease in Macau

The Macau Jockey Club (MJC) is still awaiting approval for its 2023-2024 season amid fears racing could cease in the jurisdiction, according to local reports. 

Its final meeting of the current campaign was on Saturday but there is growing speculation the government will withdraw the club's rights to organise races.

The uncertainty is fuelled by a reduction in meetings, the inability to accept bets from abroad, and the turning away of a shipment of horses from Australia in July.

"I loved racing there and cannot believe it could close," said Manoel Nunes, a six-time champion jockey in Macau. "Hopefully, somebody can come in and take over."

The MJC, which plans to stage its new season between September 29 and August, is awaiting approval from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.

The club was granted a 24-year lease extension in 2018, which was contingent on it renovating its racing complex, although those plans have not yet materialised. 

Meetings are now held weekly and feature as few as five races, drawn from a local horse population of 220, down from 1,200 during its heyday in 2003.

In that year, Macau staged 1,200 races but racing in the country has declined in the last two decades and the MJC has racked up losses of 2.1 billion patacas (£206m).

The latest developments come less than three months after it was announced racing in Singapore would end in October 2024 due to government plans to reclaim the land at Kranji racecourse for redevelopment. 

The MJC was founded in 1980 and has just one racecourse in Taipa. It once employed approximately 1,400 permanent staff and its major races include the Macau Derby.

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