Has anyone been to any of the Horse tracks in Hong Kong?

I guess there are at least a few.

[This message has been edited by Sweet Willie (edited 04-13-2003).]

There are two - one on HK Island at Happy Valley and one in the New Territories at Shatin.

Happy Valley tends to have evening meetings on Wednesdays during the season (which is September to March, roughly), and Shatin generally day meets on Saturdays.

The atmosphere is great. It is far too easy to lose lots of money. Everything is bi-lingual (English/Cantonese) and there are lots of staff around to help you lose money.

http://www.hongkongjockeyclub.com has all the details.

Maybe we should have an FT meet next season - I have access to a box (well reserved seating area) that we could use at Shatin.

[This message has been edited by christep (edited 04-14-2003).]

Agree completely w/christep -- there's nothing like the ambience of horse racing in HK. I've been only to Happy Valley, and it's an incredible sight: a race track jam-packed with excited (sometime frenzied) fans, and surrounded on all sides by enormous apartment buildings. Sometimes it seems that the buildings are all leaning in toward the track, as the residents all lean over and watch the races.

The Hong Kong Tourist ...'n (http://www.discoverhongkong.com/usa/) used to offer a terrific package for Happy Valley: transportation to/from the track, a seat in the Jockey Club area, and a dinner buffet, all for a very reasonable price.

The HK Come Horseracing tour is a must. I've taken the tour the last two times I was in HK (both to Shatin). The price is definitely worth the $495HK. Tip: if you're traveling alone or with a small group, ask for a private table.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by christep:
Maybe we should have an FT meet next season</font>

That would be great.

thanks for the replies, sounds fun and exciting, just as the ponies should be.

PS: speaking of FT meet, there is one for the Kentucky Derby this year, see the flyertalk community board.

How about a racing FT do in December ?

I really enjoyed the two times I was lucky to get into my boss's box at Shatin during ym last HK posting. Happy Valley on a Wednesday down in the cheap HK$10 section was fun as well.

I say December, as that'll be when we move to HK, but anytime after Dec 1 is good.

Graeme