The Hong Kong Jockey Club has embarked on a number of major IT projects, one of which is the development of integrated systems to facilitate the movement of horses between the Club’s primary training base at Sha Tin and the Conghua Training Centre (CTC) on the Chinese Mainland.
To simplify the many different aspects of transporting horses between the two sites, the Club has developed a series of systems to be used by a number of stakeholders, including government authorities, Club transport and security officials, trainers and veterinary staff, all with the aim of streamlining the many processes involved.
“CTC is a monumental project for the Club, and the development of the interfaces required for the various horse movement systems is a tremendous accomplishment for the IT division,” said Mr Christoph Ganswindt, Executive Director, Information Technology and Sustainability.
“The regular cross-boundary horse movement between Sha Tin and Conghua is a first-of-its-kind event in the Chinese Mainland. In order to facilitate this in a safe and efficient fashion, we have been working closely with both internal colleagues and the many external partners to understand the IT needs of all involved, and are very pleased with the end result.”
Trainers will use one of the new systems – a simple request interface – to book a horse onto one of the four convoys available each week (two from Sha Tin to CTC, two from CTC to Sha Tin, or more if the demand exists).
Thereafter, every convoy is arranged; every horse is allocated a stall and a travelling groom, while veterinary and security personnel are assigned to the pending movement.
The automated systems are integrated with those of the Chinese Mainland and Hong Kong authorities, allowing the necessary documents to be immediately generated and transferred.
“A range of different documents are required for each convoy, such as cross-boundary permits, health certificates and entry-exit declarations for every horse that travels between the centres,” added Mr Ganswindt.
“These systems work in tandem with those of a number of other authorities, including the Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and China Inspection and Quarantine (CIQ), simplifying the process and ensuring that the requirements of all government departments are fulfilled. All documents are submitted before the convoy departs from either Sha Tin or CTC.”
Once en route between the two centres, the convoys are constantly monitored by Club officials; their journey tracked through satellite positioning systems as they travel along the specially-designated biosecurity passage within the Equine Disease-free Zone.
Along the way, the convoys pass through seven checkpoints, with a notification provided to trainers and Club staff at each of the checkpoints. Security control centres at both Sha Tin and CTC are enabled to track a float’s position every five seconds. Any deviation from the pre-designated route triggers a system alert requiring action from transport and security officials at both centres.
Once a convoy arrives at its destination, the systems disseminate the information through to the Club’s website. In particular, website visitors will be able to see the movement records of each individual horse, as well as their current stable location, that is, either Sha Tin or CTC.
The Conghua Training Centre is on schedule to open in August 2018. For more information on the CTC project please visit http://crc.hkjc.com/en/index.aspx .
