'We have definitely not fallen asleep' - Hong Kong boss makes plea for more British and Irish runners

British and Irish racing has been urged to have a greater presence at Hong Kong's two major meetings with the city fully open for business again after the pandemic.

Sunday's £6.7 million FWD Champions Day will be Hong Kong's first international meeting since all restrictions were lifted, at which two British runners will take part. 

The Hong Kong Jockey Club's chief executive officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges wants to see numbers rise at the Longines International Races fixture in December after no British runners competed last year despite only minor Covid-19 protocols. 

"It's important to create a global event where the best horses from around the world meet each other," he said. "We now have the opportunity without any restrictions to showcase that we have definitely not fallen asleep and have developed and invested further in the sport.

"It's key to showcase Hong Kong racing to racing fans around the world, especially owners and trainers. Hopefully, it will help for the International Races in December because we were a little bit disappointed that we didn't have any British runners last year. 

"We're a global platform and we want to attract top-class British and Irish horses. It's important for the development of Asia long term that those countries show their quality."

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges: "We want to attract top-class British and Irish horses"Credit: BexWong

There were a total of eight overseas runners on Champions Day in 2019 before the pandemic, but none in 2020 and 2022. Five appeared in 2021 when travel from England and Ireland was banned.

On Sunday, the William Haggas-trained Dubai Honour runs in the FWD QEII Cup and Flaming Rib represents Hugo Palmer in the Chairman's Sprint Prize.

Prize-money for the three Group 1s on Champions Day next year will increase by HK$7m (£700,000) to HK$72m (£7.3m) with the three feature races up a minimum of ten per cent and Engelbrecht-Bresges issued a plea for increased involvement in Hong Kong racing from Britain and Ireland. 

"I know that sprint races aren't easy to win, but if I had a very good 1,600 [mile] or 2,000-metre [1m2f] horse, I would be planning to have the meeting in December as one of the key anchor points," he said.

"You cannot dance at every party, but if you want to come here you have to come with a horse specifically targeted for it and it cannot be an afterthought. 

"I think Dubai Honour showed the potential when fourth here [in the 2021 Hong Kong Cup] and my recommendation would be to go to the Champion Stakes and then come back here [in December].

"We've announced the increase in prize-money for Champions Day and we'll announce another significant increase in prize-money for the International Races in due course. 

"Global racing festivals are few in number but the competition is definitely increasing and we want to highlight our big two meetings in April and December as two of the key global events."

Golden Sixty's jockey Vincent Ho said this week the Hong Kong superstar was likely to go to Japan if he was to race on after the domestic season and Engelbrecht-Bresges was clear about the stumbling block to travelling to Britain.

"I think one of the issues is prize-money," he said. "There is prestige and I think a horse like Lucky Sweynesse would be perfect, but the prize-money is the problem."

Engelbrecht-Bresges added he was "extremely satisfied" by the growth of World Pool, which provides a significant financial boost to British racing, with the pool next in operation for Qipco 2,000 Guineas day next Saturday.

Read more:

'He looks tremendous' - Dubai Honour team in bullish mood for QEII Cup challenge  

'Home is always home' - De Sousa considering Britain return despite brilliant Hong Kong spell   

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