Horse racing is popular worldwide but few places take it to heart like Hong Kong. I don’t make a habit of going to the races but whenever I visit Hong Kong I find it to be an irresistible evening out. The Happy Valley Racecourse was built in 1845 just four years after British troops landed on Hong Kong Island. At first, racing was a decidedly British pastime, but as the years progressed it has also become increasingly popular with the local Chinese community.
The sport is a huge part of the local culture and viewed under the lights of a night race at this 55,000 seat arena with the backdrop of twinkling lights from the many skyscrapers surrounding the course, it’s certainly an evening to remember.
Getting there:
Happy Valley Racecourse is located in Wan Chai. The easiest way to get there is by taking a tram to the Happy Valley tram terminus which is located near Public Entrance G. Alternatively, racegoers can take the MTR Island Line to Causeway Bay, leaving the station at Exit A then walking 20 minutes to the entrance.
Entrance Fee:
General admission to the public area of the racecourse which includes the grandstand, betting hall and numerous restaurants is only HK$10 (£1). Please note that no children under the age of 18 are allowed into the venue. To enter the public enclosure simply tap your Octopus card at the turnstiles.
When does racing take place?
Horse racing runs from September through to July on Wednesday nights with the events marketed as Happy Wednesday. The first race starts at 6.40 p.m. or 7.00 p.m. depending on the number of races arranged for that evening, with the last race finishing around 11.00 p.m. Public transport is very well organised in Hong Kong and each time we have attended race meetings at Happy Valley we have stayed until the end and never had to wait more than a few minutes for a tram to take us back to our hotel.
Seating:
A public stand overlooking the racecourse offers free seating and is available on a first come, first served basis. We sat here on our recent visit as we were attending the prestigious Longines International Jockeys’ Championship and all the reserved seating had already been taken. Views were very good from the public stand with the only drawback being that if you leave your seat for a walk around then someone else is free to take it. Naturally, you can spend the evening standing to view the races from the ringside which many people are happy to do.
A better option if available is to upgrade to seats in the Grandstand which start from a nominal HK$20 each (£2). We have opted for these on our three previous visits to Happy Valley as they have excellent views of the winning post and enclosure. These seats come in pairs and incorporate a desk. The advantage of an upgrade to this stand is that the seats are reserved for the entire evening so we could both go and have a walk around together, enjoy a ringside drink and then bring some food back to the seats with us without the fear of anyone taking our seats.
Do I have to place a bet?
No matter where you decide to sit, the HK$10 (£1) entrance fee entitles spectators to watch the races and does not require placing a bet. Whether or not you choose to place a bet is entirely your choice. If you do wish to partake, you can do so for each individual race just before it starts or do all of your betting at the beginning of the evening.
Included in the ticket price is a comprehensive race catalogue with detailed information on the horses and jockeys. There were 10 races during the evening and we decided to place the minimum bet of HK$10 (£1) on each one. We glanced at the race catalogue but rather than studying the form we selected horses on the following criteria: most attractive colour of jockey’s outfit, nicest name and country of origin of the horse!
Placing bets is very simple as you can do this on one of the numerous screens in the betting hall. Smartly dressed members of staff are on hand to assist if necessary. Once each race has finished it takes around five minutes to confirm results which appear on giant screens around the arena. If you are lucky enough to be a winner you can then go up to one of the counters in the betting hall to collect your winnings in cash.
There is never a queue to do this as all the local people have online accounts with their winnings credited directly to them. Our winning record to date is very dismal as we have now placed 34 bets of HK$10 each and only had one small win. It didn’t matter a jot though as having a tiny flutter on each race added to the excitement of the evening and gave us a horse to cheer on in each race.
Food and Drink
An evening at Happy Wednesday offers much more than just racing, with live music taking place on a ringside stage between races and food and drink options available to suit all budgets from champagne bars to kiosks serving beer. With restaurants overlooking the course (advance reservations needed) through to street food trucks and even a branch of McDonalds, there is something to keep everyone happy. Surprisingly too, the food is very reasonably priced and as we were there for several hours we sampled both Western and Asian dishes. Please note that spectators are not permitted to bring their own food or drink into the arena except for water bottles.
Hong Kong Racing Museum
If time allows before attending race night spectators are welcome to visit The Hong Kong Racing Museum which offers free entry. The museum’s opening hours are 12.00-8.30pm (Mon-Sat) and 10.30-8.30pm on Sundays so if interested, it’s also possible to pop in for a look around other than on race day.
The museum opened in 1996 and preserves the region’s rich racing heritage which dates back to the 19th century and traces the history of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. I have to admit that I’m not a huge fan of horse racing but I really enjoyed viewing the historic photos of the course and learning some interesting facts about the famous horses and jockeys and of the many races that have taken place there.
It was also gratifying to learn of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s involvement in local charity matters and of the huge sums it is able to contribute to good causes.
I hope this post has extended your knowledge about horse racing in Hong Kong and whether you are a keen race goer or not, I consider spending an evening at Happy Valley to be a very enjoyable experience.
