Rain fails to dampen spirits as Hong Kong’s racing season comes to a close at Happy Valley
Large crowd witnesses nine-race card marking the end of the 2025-26 campaign in which Caspar Fownes, Zac Purton prove the big winners
Hong Kong brought the curtain down on another season of racing, with music, fireworks and a double triumph for jockey Joao Moreira at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
Not even the rain that had hammered the city for much of the day could dampen the spirits of a large crowd determined to enjoy the atmosphere one last time before the summer break.
And after 866 races over 88 days in the past 11 months, the nine-race card marked the end of the 2025-26 campaign in which Caspar Fownes took home the trainers’ championship and Zac Purton again won the jockeys’ title.
Fittingly, in the Year of the Horse, two of the best the city has ever produced, Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior, made history as the first joint winners of the award for the year’s top quadruped.
With a party atmosphere hanging over the racecourse alongside the dark clouds, spectators used tissues to wipe rain off outdoor seats, some watched performances under umbrellas, and others stood chatting in the light drizzle.
Shaun Liam Soltesz and a group of friends, who were on a two-week trip to Hong Kong from Melbourne, used the occasion to celebrate his 40th birthday. They came dressed in T-shirts bearing a photograph of his face and ready to enjoy the evening to its fullest.