The Hong Kong Jockey Club will host five international race meetings this season, up from the present two a year.
International race days are a big draw for the club, which invites dozens of the world's top thoroughbreds to race against local favourites for tens of millions in prize money. Major corporations are keen to act as sponsors to capitalise on the high-profile races.
This week's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Races, for example, was expected to attract more than 2,500 racing personnel including 280 from foreign media, with spending topping HK$20 million, said William Nader, the club's executive director of racing.
Until now the club has only had one other international racing day, the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup in late April, but this season's club calendar will allow foreign horses to race in Hong Kong at five meetings.
Two of the additional days were added last month when three previously domestic trial races became internationally recognised. The trial races, with total prize money of HK$3 million, were renamed the Cathay Pacific Jockey Club Cup, Mile and Sprint. Five-year-old champion Singapore sprinter Rocket Man was the only foreign horse participating last month.
The third extra day was added when the 1,600-metre Champions Mile event of the Audemars Piguet QE II Cup was spun off as a separate race during the same week, mainly because German carmaker BMW wanted to sponsor its own international race, Nader said.
