ON TRACK

Ever since the first official race meeting at Happy Valley in 1846, Hong Kong has maintained a passion for racing that has captured world attention. Today the sport of kings offers Hong Kong punters and visitors the best of international racing at two spectacular but very different courses: Happy Valley, with its rich urban history, and Sha Tin, with its country park atmosphere. According to John Ridley, head of racing operations and equestrian, the diversity of the two racetracks makes a potent and unique combination - and it is one of the reasons why Hong Kong retains its magic. 'In terms of the crowds, the atmosphere and betting turnover, Hong Kong is a vibrant place for racing. If you go to racetracks around the world, the vast majority of ordinary Saturday race meetings do not have the same atmosphere they did 20 or 30 years ago. However, Hong Kong still has that magical feeling.' The two courses are entirely different, says Mr Ridley. Of Happy Valley, he says: 'At how many racecourses in the world can fans be literally right on the track? You are sitting in the grandstand and just 30 metres from the horses - it's like being in a picture theatre, in the dress circle.' As for Sha Tin, he says: 'With its sand-based systems, Sha Tin is a fair and forgiving track. It is open and spacious with a wonderful park in the middle.' The Hong Kong cityscape has grown up around the Happy Valley racecourse, making it one of the most spectacular metropolitan tracks worldwide. It has a circumference of 1,417 metres, a width of 30.5 metres, a 310-metre home straight, a total area of 5.4 hectares, and a crowd capacity of 53,880. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, concerned for the safety of jockeys and their mounts on the tight turns at Happy Valley, has always had strict limits on the number of participating horses. To continue attracting high-quality fields, the racecourse was closed for renovation for much of 1995, reopening without the sand track and with an expansion of the grass track to provide a fairer track for all. The Sha Tin course, built on reclaimed land in the New Territories and featuring Penfold Park as its central garden, opened in 1978 as a world-class racetrack. It has a circumference of 1,899 metres, width of 30.5 metres, a 430-metre home straight, a total area of 10.5 hectares, and a crowd capacity of 85,000. In addition to the main turf track, Sha Tin has two all-weather tracks and two trotting rings. Races are run in a clockwise direction. Further features at Sha Tin are a 1,000-metre chute, allowing for the running of a straight 1,000-metre race, and a 1,800-metre chute, an extension to the back straight. 'Happy Valley is what we'd consider to be a typical city track, with short straights dictating the type of racing pattern,' says Mr Ridley. 'It has a wonderful history, and in thoroughbred racing it is unique. It is also the more difficult track to ride, so the jockeys need better skills. You have to jump well, be well placed, and have the horse nicely balanced. '[South African jockey] Douglas Whyte, for example, rides Happy Valley outstandingly well. 'Sha Tin is a faster, more balanced track, and very forgiving. It has nice big bends so if you get a bump you can rebalance and recover your race.' Some horses are almost Happy Valley specialists. They like the shorter straights, and race better there - and this is reflected in the punting. 'It is always a case of horses for courses, but the unique thing about Hong Kong is that there are two such different courses, offering different types of racing in one city,' says Mr Ridley. He says the crowds don't seem to favour one course over the other and will go wherever the racing is. There is a growing younger crowd at Wednesday night meetings in Happy Valley, indicating that the upcoming generation has lost none of the passion. Both racetracks will continue to evolve as the Hong Kong Jockey Club keeps pace with modern times, Mr Ridley says. 'Racing is a dynamic business, and it keeps changing. At some point in the future, our tracks will change. We keep a close eye on those things.' HAPPY VALLEY Circumference 1,417 metres Width 30.5 metres Home straight 310 metres Total area 5.4 hectares Crowd capacity 53,880 SHA TIN Circumference 1,899 metres Width 30.5 metres Home straight 430 metres Total area 10.5 hectares Crowd capacity 85,000