The Hong Kong Jockey Club has begun a long-term partnership with the Sports Bureau of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in Urumqi with the goal of modernising the region's equine industry.

The partnership was announced on Tuesday, with the aim of leveraging the resources of both the Jockey Club and the Bureau to promote the upgrading of Xinjiang’s equine industry.

Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges visited the site alongside Executive Director Andrew Harding and members of the Club’s expert team, meeting representatives of the government, university, industry and sports organisations.

Xinjiang holds the largest horse population in China and is home to one of its most celebrated horse breeds, the Yili horse – a small breed native to Xinjiang.

The region has a rich history of horse sports and is implementing strategic objectives set out in the National Equine Industry Development Plan and the Xinjiang Modern Equine Industry Development Plan to aid horse breeding, training, racing and horse culture tourism.

The Jockey Club will support Xinjiang in celebrating its horse racing festivals, cultivating equine talent with an international perspective and improving veterinary and horse standards – among other objectives.

Engelbrecht-Bresges said that the Jockey Club is committed to national development and will leverage the advantages of the “one country, two systems” framework – along with the Club’s extensive experience and global connections – to help promote China’s horse culture internationally.

He was also keen to highlight Conghua racecourse in Guangzhou, which will be instrumental in supporting the development of equine industry talent, clinical veterinary care, health standards, racing tourism and other cultural activities in Xinjiang.

Engelbrecht-Bresges added that the Club is confident that Yili horses have the potential to become a global symbol of China’s equine culture, while highlighting the Club’s commitment to supporting the development of a robust equine industry value chain in Xinjiang and the nation through sports, cultural and tourism initiatives.

Conghua opened in August 2018 and has become integral to Hong Kong racing and is currently used as a training centre for a large portion of the racing population.

Racing is scheduled to begin at the venue in October 2026 in conjunction with Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses. An exhibition meeting at the course was held in March 2019.

The Jockey Club began supporting the China Horse Industry Association in developing high-quality domestic horses last year, running 45 Yili horse assessment races held in Xinjiang.