Chengdu meeting is beginning of world-class racing in China, says Hong Kong Jockey Club chief
HKJC chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges says the one-off event at Jinma racecourse will have major implications for the sport in China
Hong Kong Jockey Club participation in the Chengdu meeting will be a one-off event for this season, but chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges believes the club and its training centre at Conghua will have an ongoing part in the development of horse racing in China.
Following Wednesday's announcement of a cooperative partnership between the Jockey Club and the Chinese Equestrian Association, and the November 7 meeting at Jinma racecourse, Engelbrecht-Bresges said the arrangement should prove to be a turning point in establishing the sport on the mainland.
"As we know, there have been other horse racing meetings of an annual or sporadic type and not necessarily in a format that we might identify with the kind of world-class racing we present here in Hong Kong," he said.
"But we might one day look back on this partnership announcement as the beginning of professional racing in China, on a proper platform."
The Jockey Club chief said he was under no illusions as regards the progress of horse racing as a sport in China, where a great deal has to be done.