The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Guangzhou Municipal Government have signed a new agreement to deepen cooperation and further develop the horse industry across Guangzhou and Hong Kong.
According to the HKJC, the partnership will use Conghua Racecourse as a key platform, with plans to stage regular world-class racing, equestrian, cultural, sporting and tourism events. The wider goal is to build a “Guangzhou–Hong Kong Horse Industry Cooperation Zone” and create a stronger regional horse industry economy within the Greater Bay Area.
The agreement was signed on July 18 by Guangzhou Municipal Government Secretary-General Pan Zhijun and HKJC Executive Director of Corporate Affairs Raymond Tam. The ceremony was witnessed by Guangzhou Mayor Sun Zhiyang, HKJC Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Guangzhou Deputy Secretary-General Zhu Xiaoyi and Hong Kong Deputy Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Clement Woo.
Engelbrecht-Bresges said the Club hopes to make use of its international standing, professional expertise and experience in racing and equestrian sport to support the development of the horse industry in the Greater Bay Area and across the country.
The HKJC and the Guangzhou Municipal Government have worked together for many years, most notably on the development of Conghua Racecourse and the wider horse industry supply chain.
Under the latest agreement, Conghua Racecourse is expected to host regular racing meetings conducted to international standards, alongside a range of horse-themed cultural, sporting and tourism activities. These events are intended to attract visitors, support the local events economy and encourage closer cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland.
The plan also ties in with Guangzhou’s 15th Five-Year Plan, which calls for deeper cooperation with Hong Kong in the horse industry and the regular staging of international-standard racing events.
The HKJC recently submitted its own proposals for Hong Kong’s first five-year economic and social development plan. One of its suggestions was to make greater use of Conghua Racecourse as a strategic platform for cooperation between Guangzhou and Hong Kong, while attracting more international racing and equestrian events to the Greater Bay Area.
The long-term aim is to turn Conghua Racecourse into a world-class centre for racing, equestrian sport, horse-related industries and tourism.
According to the HKJC, the target is to have the Guangzhou–Hong Kong Horse Industry Cooperation Zone largely established by 2030, helping the Greater Bay Area become a leading international hub for horse sport and the wider horse industry.
Source: HKJC