By South China Morning Post | Created at 2025-01-31 10:01:33 | Updated at 2025-01-31 12:55:08
2 hours ago
Tens of thousands of punters flocked to Hong Kong’s Sha Tin Racecourse on Friday, the third day of Lunar New Year, to try their luck in the Year of the Snake, with more than HK$100 million (US$12.8 million) wagered on the first race alone.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Chinese New Year Raceday, featuring an 11-race programme, started at 12.30pm but tourists and locals were already lining up to enter the racecourse two hours ahead of time to grab prime viewing spots.
Finance chief Paul Chan Mo-po and culture minister Rosanna Law Shuk-pui were among guests officiating at the opening ceremony.
The crowd was also entertained with lion dances, lucky tips from feng shui master Mak Ling Ling, and a musical performance by singer-songwriter Hins Cheung King-hin.
“I’m betting about HK$2,000 on the first race,” said keen horse-racing fan Wong Kwong-king, a retiree in his sixties.
But he declined to reveal which horse he was backing, or his tactics, as he said it would be bad luck.
