Hong Kong racing has produced many familiar naming traditions, but few are as immediately recognisable as the “PACKING” series. For several decades, horses carrying the prefix have appeared regularly at Sha Tin and Happy Valley, representing different members and generations of the Lee family.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s ownership records show the scale of the tradition. Lee Wan Keung raced horses including PACKING COMMANDER, PACKING PERFECT, PACKING WISHER and PACKING WINNER. Edmond Lee Man Bun has been associated with PACKING AWARD, PACKING KID, PACKING NOBLESSE, PACKING SISSOKO and PACKING FIGHTER, while Raymond Lee Man Chun’s list includes PACKING KING, PACKING POWER, PACKING SUPREME and PACKING STARCRAFT. Lee Man Yan, Marina Lee Man Wai and Roletta Lee Man Ching have also raced horses under the same banner. Together with the Exciting Racing Syndicate, they have turned “PACKING” into one of Hong Kong racing’s most enduring family identities.
A horse’s name does not guarantee success, and the long history of the series naturally includes runners of every ability. Some struggled to leave the lower grades, while others developed into genuine Group-level performers. That mixture is part of what makes the story distinctive. The “PACKING” name has never been reserved solely for expensive imports or established stars. It has accompanied newcomers from their first barrier trials, through the handicap classes and, in several memorable cases, onto Hong Kong racing’s biggest stages.
PACKING WINNER was one of the horses that established the series at the highest level. Owned by Lee Wan Keung, the New Zealand-bred gelding won seven races and earned HK$16,498,750. His most important victory came in the 2009 Sha Tin Trophy, then classified as a Hong Kong Group 3 contest.
PACKING WINNER also proved competitive against elite opposition over longer distances. He finished a narrow second in the 2009 Hong Kong Gold Cup, was runner-up in the 2010 Jockey Club Cup and took third in the 2010 Hong Kong Cup. Although he did not secure a Group 1 victory, his consistency against Hong Kong’s leading middle-distance horses helped establish the “PACKING” name as something more than a familiar prefix.
PACKING WHIZ carried the tradition forward a few seasons later. Racing for Lee Man Yan, the Irish-bred gelding won five of his 27 starts and accumulated HK$11,635,500 in prize money.
His rise was particularly rapid during the 2012/13 season. After winning a Class 2 event over 1,600 metres, he stepped up to capture the 2012 Sha Tin Trophy over 1,800 metres. He later won the 2013 Chairman’s Trophy, then a Hong Kong Group 2 race, with a powerful late finish.
PACKING WHIZ also performed with distinction at Group 1 level. He finished third in the 2013 Champions Mile and later filled the same position behind GLORIOUS DAYS and GOLD-FUN in that year’s Hong Kong Mile. Those performances confirmed that the family had found another horse capable of competing among the city’s best milers.
The “PACKING” series has never been limited to one racing distance. PACKING WINNER excelled from a mile to 2,400 metres, while PACKING WHIZ was most effective around 1,600 and 1,800 metres. In more recent years, PACKING TREADMILL emerged as one of the family’s leading sprinters.
Owned by the Exciting Racing Syndicate, PACKING TREADMILL won seven races and earned HK$15,003,300. He rose through the handicap system to compete regularly in the highest sprinting grades, finishing third in the 2024 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy over 1,000 metres and later lining up in the Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup. He retired with a rating of 92 after 32 starts, having provided several seasons of consistent service.
The most prominent recent representative has been PACKING HERMOD. Owned by Roletta Lee Man Ching and trained by Francis Lui, the Australian-bred gelding began his Hong Kong career with an impressive debut victory over 1,200 metres in June 2024.
He developed quickly during his four-year-old season, winning four of his first five Hong Kong starts before finishing third as favourite in the 2025 Hong Kong Classic Mile. Although he was unable to secure one of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series races, he later demonstrated his speed by winning a 1,400-metre Class 2 contest in 1m 19.92s, equalling the Sha Tin course record then held by ENCOURAGING.
PACKING HERMOD subsequently moved into open-age Group company. He finished third in the 2025 Group 3 Premier Cup and remained one of Francis Lui’s higher-rated runners during the following campaign. By the end of the 2025/26 season, his record stood at six wins, one second and three thirds from 17 starts, with total earnings of HK$12,121,650 and a rating of 101.
The broader “PACKING” team also retained considerable strength. PACKING ANGEL, another representative of the Exciting Racing Syndicate, had won four races from 17 starts and earned HK$9,618,925 by the end of the season. Rated 92, he remained capable of competing in Class 1 and Class 2 company over distances from 1,600 to 1,800 metres.
PACKING FIGHTER supplied another encouraging result when he won over 1,600 metres at the final Sha Tin meeting of the 2025/26 season. The victory was his first in Hong Kong and lifted his rating to 67.
PACKING GLORY, owned by Lee Wan Keung and Lee Wong Wai Kuen, completed his first campaign with two wins, two seconds and two thirds from nine starts, earning HK$2,447,250.
There are also signs that the next chapter has already begun. PACKING PIONEER, a New Zealand-bred son of Per Incanto, arrived in Hong Kong in May 2026. Owned jointly by Lee Man Yan and Roletta Lee Man Ching and placed with Francis Lui, he had yet to make his debut by the end of the season. His name nevertheless provides another clear link between different branches and generations of the family’s ownership tradition.
From PACKING WINNER’s middle-distance consistency to PACKING WHIZ’s Group victories, from PACKING TREADMILL’s speed to PACKING HERMOD’s record-equalling performance, the series has produced horses with very different qualities. Not every runner has become a champion, but each has added another line to a story extending across decades.
The lasting appeal of the “PACKING” name therefore lies in more than race results. It represents continuity. Horses retire, trainers change and a new group of runners arrives every season, yet the familiar prefix remains.
As long as another PACKING FIGHTER, PACKING GLORY or PACKING PIONEER is preparing to enter the starting stalls, one of Hong Kong racing’s most recognisable family traditions will continue to be unpacked, one horse at a time.