Racing will enter the twilight zone for the first time in 20 years this summer after the Hong Kong government endorsed the Jockey Club’s proposal to delay the start of all day meetings in June and July.
The Sha Tin cards on June 4, June 10, June 18, June 25, July 1, July 9 and July 16 will begin at 4.00pm, with the 10-race programmes ending at around 8.50pm and the 11-race schedules finishing at roughly 9.30pm.
Twilight meetings are not new to Hong Kong, but the Jockey Club has not staged one since June 14, 2003.
“The welfare of our racehorses and racing participants, including jockeys, stable and tracks staff, owners, members and customers, is of paramount importance to the club,” Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said.
“With increasingly high temperatures in June and July, twilight meetings could help enhance their welfare and safety. I greatly appreciate the support of all our stakeholders for this change.”
The introduction of twilight meetings adds to the Jockey Club’s heat-mitigation measures, which include industrial-size misting fans, shortened pre- and post-race procedures and hydration protocols.
“The welfare of our racehorses and racing participants is a fundamental commitment, and we have a long record of continuous improvements to enhance welfare and safety, including adapting our protocols and ways of working where that is appropriate to respond to changed circumstances,” Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding said.
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“Ensuring the welfare and safety of our racehorses and racing participants in relation to weather has been a key component of this, and our pioneering application of the composite index temperature measurement to horse racing events, with mitigation measures adopted accordingly, is a case in point.”
Subject to the outcome of this summer’s experimental exercise, the Jockey Club will consider applying the twilight arrangements on a longer-term basis during June and July in future racing seasons.
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