THE most important season in Hong Kong racing history begins at Sha Tin today with the Jockey Club battling to claw back betting revenue in the face of challenges that never previously existed.
Turnover slumped 11 per cent last year, an unheard of occurrence in the balmy years since the sport turned professional in 1970.
It was in large part due to the economic downturn but the betting money being siphoned off by illegal bookmakers plus sophisticated football betting is hitting where it hurts. The Jockey Club, untouched for over a century as the premium sports attraction, now has to get down and scrap for the entertainment dollar.
But as the curtain goes up at Sha Tin today on the millennium season, the irresistible lure of racing will guarantee an attendance for a 10-race programme in excess of 50,000. They will come by road, rail and courtesy public shuttle buses laid on by the Jockey Club, which keeps admission pegged for the public enclosure at a time-honoured $10.
Sha Tin racecourse has been brightened up during the off-season with new signage installed to help racegoers find their way round the complex.
'It is an important season for us in many ways. The economy is showing a small upturn which hopefully will continue and we have introduced a new bet which is tailored to suit the current economic trend,' said information secretary, Wilson Cheng, yesterday.