Budding racing enthusiasts, party people and media types gathered at the Jockey Club's Adrenaline bar and lounge in Happy Valley for an evening of cocktails and horses, and to try their hand at the newest way to bet on the sport of kings: the IBU zone.

Scarlette Leung, the club's director of corporate business planning and programme management, said the IBU zone was to help alleviate 'the global problem of the learning curve' in the world of horse racing. Young people were being put off the sport by confusing terminology, the need for specialised knowledge and all that maths. 'Nobody likes to feel dumb,' she said.

So the IBU zone offers a safe place for beginners to go with lots of bright colours, pretty pictures and easy-to-understand information without too many numbers or difficult words.