The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) today (18 September) announced that the race meeting at Happy Valley Racecourse tonight has been cancelled in view of the imminent threat to the safety of racegoers, jockeys and employees, and to the welfare of racehorses.

In organising race meetings, the Club always puts safety as a top priority. It is our responsibility to ensure that racehorses, racegoers, jockeys and employees are safe at all times. The Club has been monitoring the situation in Hong Kong closely. It has conducted a thorough risk assessment of the race meeting tonight and concluded that it should be cancelled in order to preserve the security and safety of people and horses.

“Our concerns are tied to potential social unrest in the vicinity tonight, the very real threat of a disturbance or possible violence at Happy Valley Racecourse, and uncertainty regarding transportation in and around Happy Valley and Causeway Bay for racegoers, jockeys and employees and horses entering or leaving the racecourse throughout the evening,” a Club spokesperson said.

“This is a very difficult and most unfortunate decision to make, but public safety is of paramount importance to the Club. We hope the racing community and the Hong Kong public will understand our reasons for doing so,” the spokesperson emphasised.

The Club will provide further information on wagering refunds and racecourse bookings in due course.