Edited Press ReleaseThe 2025/26 Hong Kong race season ended on Wednesday, July 15. Race goers enjoyed 88 meetings divided between Happy Valley and Sha Tin this season, comprising 865 Hong Kong races and 492 overseas simulcast races. Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress) and Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) were named joint-Horses of the Year with 10 Group 1 race wins between them.Total racing wagering turnover for the season was HK$143.31 billion (approx. £13.5 billion), representing a 3.2% increase on the 2024/25 season. Hong Kong races attracted record commingling turnover of HK$34.4 billion (approx. £3.2 billion), an 8.3% increase on the 2024/25 season. There are now 26 countries and more than 60 partners participating in commingling. A notable highlight was the Chinese New Year Raceday in February, when commingling turnover surged to HK$523.56 million (approx. £49.5 million), setting a new record for a single race meeting and surpassing HK$500 million for a second consecutive year.In total, 99 overseas races that had been included in the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities' (IFHA) Top 100 Group 1 at least once in the previous three years were simulcast, up from 71 in the previous season. Overall, turnover on simulcasting (including World Pool commingling) increased by 23.5% to HK$16.20 billion (approx. £1.53 billion).This season, the number of World Pool races increased from 296 to 397. These included all 12 of the Club's Group 1 races, as well as some leading races or meetings for the first time such as the Australian Guineas, All Aged Stakes and Golden Slipper from Australia. Commingling turnover into the World Pool (excluding Club races) recorded a 27.7% increase over the 2024/25 season.Next season, the progressive expansion of simulcasts will see 70 simulcast days and 55 simulcast races. This expansion enables the Club to cover most of the IFHA World's Top 100 Group/Grade 1 races and enhances its ability to combat illegal betting while reinforcing Hong Kong's position as a global leader in horse racing wagering.Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), said, “This has been an outstanding season, and we really could not have wished for anything more in terms of equine excellence, especially in the Year of the Horse. Hong Kong's titans, Ka Ying Rising and Romantic Warrior, have elevated Hong Kong racing to an unprecedented level. It is an extraordinary achievement to have two Hong Kong horses ranked at the top of the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings for much of the season – Ka Ying Rising at number one and Romantic Warrior, who was at number two for much of this year. They have given the Year of the Horse celebrations even more significance as we pay tribute to Hong Kong's unique passion for the horse and horse racing.”After a hard-fought title race, Caspar Fownes claimed the Hong Kong trainers' championship for the fifth time, while Zac Purton was crowned Hong Kong's champion jockey for a ninth time with 143 victories. Jerry Chau won the Tony Cruz Award as leading homegrown jockey. Purton also become the first jockey to ride 2,000 winners in Hong Kong.Next season, prize-money for The Hong Kong Classic Mile and Hong Kong Classic Cup will each increase by HK$1 million to HK$14 million (approx. £1.3 million), while the Hong Kong Derby will rise by HK$2 million to HK$28 million (approx. £2.6 million) for its 150th edition, representing an overall increase of 8% for the three races. In addition, the HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup over 1200m on the 26/27 Season Opener on September 6 will be promoted to Group 3 with increased prize-money of HK$4.2 million (approx. £400,000).The Year of the Horse was the best-ever for horse racing tourism, with the Club's two Hong Kong racecourses welcoming a record 401,259 visits from Chinese Mainland and overseas tourists, reinforcing the city's position as an international tourism hub.Another feather in the HKJC's cap is the beginning of racing in Conhua on the Chinese Mainland which will begin on October 31 of this year. Together, Sha Tin, Happy Valley and Conghua will form a triangle of racecourses that will showcase the quality of the Club's horse racing sport and entertainment. Most importantly, they will also advance the Club's support for the National Equine Industry Development Plan, which seeks to develop a high-quality equine industry in the Chinese Mainland. There will be no wagering on Conghua races.“The milestone race meeting in Conghua Racecourse on 31 October will make a powerful statement to the world, underlining that Conghua is not only a state-of-the-art training centre but a racecourse capable of staging world-class racing in the Chinese Mainland,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges. “The highlight of our Year of the Horse celebrations, it will mark the launch of thoroughbred speed racing at Conghua on a regular basis, delivering the same world-class quality as in Hong Kong.“Through world-class racing, innovative team racing, and special events and carnivals we aim to attract high-end tourism from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland, and overseas. Equine sports will become a key driver in establishing Conghua as a tourist destination, which will stimulate the economy, boost multi-sector consumption across culture, sports, and tourism, advance the development of the equine industry value chain, inject new momentum into regional economic growth, and contribute significantly to economic growth in the Greater Bay Area.”The post Hong Kong’s 2025/2026 Season Sees Record Overseas Betting Turnover Of HK$34.4 Billion/£3.2 Billion appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.