Champion Awards (Election Details)

The 2023/24 season will be celebrated as one of the most successful in the Club’s history with a string of highlights – both at home and abroad. From a sporting perspective, Hong Kong racing reached towering heights with historic achievement on the international stage.

With only 1,200 horses in training – or around 0.7 percent of the world’s horse population - Hong Kong horses contested 18 Group 1 races around the world in the 2023/24 season, winning 13 of the most important races in the world in a display of sustained excellence.

Romantic Warrior’s all-conquering campaign annexed three different racing strongholds with victories in the G1 W. S. Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley, the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup (2000m), G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), G1 FWD QEII Cup (2000m) – all at Sha Tin - and the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) at Tokyo Racecourse.

Overcoming a chequered preparation and defeat in the G1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) when conceding weight and fitness to his rivals, Danny Shum’s champion rebounded by sweeping to historic W. S. Cox Plate success, the first of an astonishing five consecutive Group 1 triumphs – the most recorded in a single season by a Hong Kong horse.

Romantic Warrior’s imposing body of work drew the acclaim of global audiences and the unqualified admiration of Japanese racing purists at Tokyo Racecourse following his thrilling Yasuda Kinen success spoke volumes for the reverence in which the Hong Kong International Sale graduate is held. It is difficult to imagine a more outstanding season by a Hong Kong horse with Group 1 wins in three separate jurisdictions in the same campaign.

The removal of COVID-19 restrictions paved the way for Hong Kong horses to travel the globe once more and Romantic Warrior’s stunning feats under James McDonald in Australia and Japan were matched in Dubai with California Spangle’s record-breaking win in the G1 Al Quoz (1200m) for Tony Cruz and Brenton Avdulla.

Recording the fastest time ever clocked down Meydan’s famous straight in a time of 1.07.5, California Spangle capped an impressive campaign with two Group 1 victories, having also snared the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) at Sha Tin.

While the city’s established order of equine stars was again prominent, four other talents proved their mettle at the highest level with G1 level – Voyage Bubble landed the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m), Victor The Winner clinched the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), Beauty Eternal delivered on his potential in the G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) and Invincible Sage landed the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m).

Lucky Sweynesse logged another strong season with a resounding win in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) to underline his lofty standing on the international stage but, without question, the most momentous victory at LONGINES Hong Kong International Races was produced by Hong Kong’s equine king, Golden Sixty.

Resuming after a 224-day break, Golden Sixty demolished a field of world-class milers to add a Hong Kong record 10th major win with an utterly breathtaking victory in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) for Francis Lui and Vincent Ho. Watched by an adoring crowd of 65,252, Golden Sixty was simply superb with arguably the performance of his incredible career.

Hong Kong was also the beneficiary of much appreciated international support with the presence of champion horsemen including Andre Fabre, Aidan O’Brien and the best from Japan. Andre proved his mastery with Junko’s win in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) while Charlie Appleby claimed his first Hong Kong success with Rebel’s Romance triumph in the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup (2400m).

The Four-Year-Old Classic Series was also a tremendous success as owners competed for returns on investment with a record prizemoney and bonus structure of HK$1.73 billion on offer. Helios Express underlined his class by snaring the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) for John Size and Hugh Bowman and, for the fifth year in a row, the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) was decided by a narrow margin – this time a neck – as Massive Sovereign crowned Dennis Yip’s audacious planning by winning Classic at only his second start in Hong Kong under Zac Purton and in record time of 1.59.85, eclipsing Golden Sixty’s record from 2020.

Zac Purton has marched towards a seventh Hong Kong jockeys’ championship with Karis Teetan, Hugh Bowman and Angus Chung also enjoying outstanding seasons.

High-quality horses are the foundation of Hong Kong’s world-class racing and to offset the cost of ownership, the Hong Kong Jockey Club will invest HK$140 million in 2024/25 in lowering the cost of having a horse in training.

In addition, prize money for three of Hong Kong’s top races – the FWD Champions Mile, LONGINES Hong Kong Mile and LONGINES Hong Kong Cup – will be increased for the 2024/25 racing season by a total of HK$10 million next season. The increases add HK$8 million to 2024 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races for a total Group 1 prize money purse of HK$126 million, while the three Group 1 races at 2025 FWD Champions Day will offer HK$74 million. The growth in prize money means Hong Kong’s 12 Group 1 races will offer a record HK$265 million for the 2024/25 racing season.

On behalf of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, we extend our thanks to all who have contributed and worked to make the 2023/24 season a success, including the Association of Hong Kong Racing Journalists and the Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association. Thank you also to all owners and Club staff for their understanding and support during what has been a challenging phase, and to all racing fans for their unquenchable passion. We look forward to next season with optimism and confidence and the racing community’s continued support.