Audi 2007 Annual Report Download - page 122

120 SPORT&ATHLETESSPORT&ATHLETES
he only thing they’re short of is space, as they have
been for decades. This explains why the 1,200 thorough-
breds that race here are accommodated in three-story stables
(fully air-conditioned, of course). For the same reason, the
club does not breed its own horses. But apart from that, short-
age is about the last thing any of the former crown colony’s
seven million inhabitants would associate with the exclusive
Hong Kong Jockey Club. The club’s history dates back to
1841, when the horse-crazy British laid out the city’s first
racecourse in the middle of malaria-stricken Happy Valley.
Since the early 1970s, the club has had a monopoly on betting
on horses and lotteries, as the government wanted to combat
illegal gambling.
The club’s regular customers represent a third of Hong
Kong’s population, notorious for its love of gambling. Tens of
thousands stream through the gates on race days. Rumor has it
that daily ticket sales here amount to what an average Euro-
pean racecourse would sell in a year. That is why the club is
now the city’s largest taxpayer, contributing the equivalent of
nearly nine billion euros a year in income tax and gambling
tax. “There is hardly anyone in Hong Kong who doesn’t come
into contact with us on a daily basis one way or another,” says
CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.
In this metropolis that never stands still and is so pas-
sionate about performance, people are used to dealing in
superlatives. For the club’s racehorses, only the best in the
world, the most talented will do. First and foremost there is
Silent Witness, the fastest horse on the planet between 2003
and 2005, an achievement which earned it not only its own
website but also a place in Time magazine’s list of the “100
most important people” in 2004. For the club’s jockeys and
trainers: Only the most highly regarded in their field. Douglas
Whyte for instance, the undisputed darling of the public, has
stayed at the top of the rankings for seven seasons. Whyte has
now overtaken even Tony Cruz, a household name thanks to a
hugely successful career as a jockey, and now a top trainer. For
the members’ facilities: Only the finest, from gourmet restau-
rants to the luxury spa complex.
The stadium facilities are also world class – for instance
the state-of-the-art veterinary clinic and anti-doping laboratory,
which has a reputation for uncompromising strictness. Nor
does the club accept half measures when it comes to technology.
T
A question of style
Its revenue figures have the competition green with envy while its commu-
nity work leaves the city fathers jubilant: The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one
of the most renowned horse racing institutions in the world.
COPY Myrto-Christina Athanassiou
Above
Tens of thousands stream into the Hong
Kong Jockey Club on race days. The club will
host the riding events at this summer’s
Olympic Games.
Below
The atmosphere at evening races in Happy
Valley is electric.