The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chief Executive Officer Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges has hailed the 2025 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) as “a very, very special day” after an afternoon of history and world-class racing at Sha Tin on Sunday (14 December).

As Hong Kong racing glistened on the international horseracing stage with the history-making feat of Romantic Warrior to win a record fourth G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and the victories of Ka Ying Rising (G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint) and Voyage Bubble (G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile), Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said the competition was “absolutely world-class.”

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said: “Today was, in our view, a very, very special day where we saw tremendous sport. We are really proud that we attracted a record number of international and Chinese Mainland visitors of 13,370, double last season’s HKIR. The attendance today included almost 10,000 Mainland visitors – an increase of more than 50 percent on last year. This season alone, the number of tourists to Sha Tin is more than 110,000.

“In summarising, when we look at the racing itself, it was absolutely world-class. The LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (on Wednesday, 10 December) was a wonderful prelude but today was the absolute pinnacle of what we could have hoped for.

“We believe this was one of the greatest days of Hong Kong racing.”

For the second year in a row, Hong Kong’s three heavenly kings – Ka Ying Rising, Romantic Warrior and Voyage Bubble – claimed Group 1 glory, watched by attendance of 48,494 as Sosie triumphed for the visiting brigade in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase.

“We saw an outstanding Vase with the winner Sosie being a wonderful stayer and last year winner Giavellotto as runner up, which has confirmed the quality of the Vase, and both horses repeated their Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe form. I would like to send my appreciation and thanks to Andre Fabre, who had his birthday this week and hopefully this is a little birthday present for him and wife who was here,” said Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges described Ka Ying Rising as one of Hong Kong All Time Greats after the gelding’s devastating LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint victory for David Hayes and Zac Purton.

“I call it poetry in motion, I call it the best horse I have ever seen at least in the sprinting distances. He’s not from this planet — the way he dominated from the gate and left other world-class horses trailing in his shadow was simply extraordinary,” Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

“Coming to the Mile, only two times in the history of Hong Kong racing, we have only two winners of the Triple Crown and that Voyage Bubble is able to beat a top-class horse in Soul Rush, who beat Romantic Warrior in Dubai, is incredible. The way he showed tremendous eagerness and determination to catch Soul Rush in the final 50 metres was remarkable. I congratulate Zac and Ricky.

“To see a horse in Romantic Warrior winning for the fourth time – it’s never happened in history – in the LONGINES Hong Kong Cup and in emphatic style is amazing and he is now on HK$240 million in prizemoney and Danny Shum and James McDonald are incredible team with this champion horse.

“For us, it is extremely satisfying to see with a population of 1,350 horses, which is 0.7 percent of the world’s horse population, that we have horses of this class. I would also like to congratulate our three trainers for their outstanding training performance. It is gratifying to see two-home grown talents able to be successful on the highest level.

Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges praised the entertainment performances of Rain and Now United as Hong Kong shimmered on the world stage with the successful staging of the Club’s flagship meeting. He also thanked LONGINES’ great sponsorship for the flagship event.

Mr Andrew Harding, Executive Director Racing, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, said: “We have a saying that Winfried coined some years ago of ‘One club, one team and one vision’ and the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races is the embodiment of that.

“So today, is not just the result of the efforts of the Racing Division, but colleagues right across the Club and we’ve seen just extraordinary and how excellent they are.

“This year has generated a level of international attention that has been quite exceptional and the Club is grateful for all of that.”