An exceptional 2024/25 Hong Kong racing season came to a close at Happy Valley on Wednesday, wrapping up one of the most memorable chapters in the sport’s history.
At the heart of it was New Zealand-bred horse of the year Ka Ying Rising. The superstar sprinter became only the third horse in Hong Kong history to win eight races in a single season, claimed four Group 1 titles, and twice shattered the Sha Tin 1200m course record — breaking a benchmark that had stood since 2007. His unbeaten run stretched to 12 races, ranking as the third-longest winning streak in Hong Kong behind Silent Witness (17) and Golden Sixty (16).
Ka Ying Rising also became the fifth horse to sweep the Hong Kong Speed Series — winning the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m), and G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) — to earn the HK$5 million bonus.
New Zealand-bred horses more than held their own this season, winning 223 of the 847 races (26.3 percent) from a supply of 25.2 percent, with 364 runners out of the 1445 to start in season 2024/25.
Record-Breaking Seasons for Purton and Size
Among the jockeys and trainers, champions continued to raise the bar. John Size landed a record-extending 13th trainers’ championship with 69 wins, while Zac Purton secured his eighth jockeys’ title with 138 victories. Purton also broke Douglas Whyte’s all-time Hong Kong wins record, pushing his tally to 1,878. Size passed the 1,600-win mark locally.
| Trainer | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | 5TH | STARTS | STAKES | Win% |
| Size J. | 69 | 66 | 69 | 64 | 66 | 623 | 160,768,800.00 | 11.1% |
| Hayes D.A. | 61 | 59 | 58 | 64 | 37 | 657 | 144,151,155.00 | 9.3% |
| Fownes C. | 52 | 45 | 50 | 56 | 49 | 522 | 79,446,530.00 | 10.0% |
| Lui K.W. | 50 | 45 | 40 | 27 | 38 | 493 | 117,256,140.00 | 10.1% |
| Yiu P.F. | 49 | 55 | 51 | 51 | 52 | 519 | 128,151,722.50 | 9.4% |
| Cruz A.S. | 49 | 48 | 59 | 49 | 40 | 648 | 96,990,385.00 | 7.6% |
| Lor F.C. | 46 | 56 | 38 | 37 | 43 | 560 | 83,492,800.00 | 8.2% |
| Man K.L. | 45 | 26 | 31 | 27 | 37 | 410 | 50,436,450.00 | 11.0% |
| Newnham M. | 44 | 58 | 37 | 38 | 51 | 480 | 88,219,480.00 | 9.2% |
| Ng P.C. | 40 | 45 | 58 | 52 | 42 | 632 | 83,184,845.00 | 6.3% |
| Shum C.S. | 40 | 43 | 33 | 26 | 53 | 512 | 87,592,755.00 | 7.8% |
| Mo W.K. | 40 | 39 | 33 | 47 | 40 | 470 | 61,046,662.50 | 8.5% |
| So W.Y. | 38 | 33 | 34 | 37 | 38 | 448 | 48,813,625.00 | 8.5% |
| Eustace D. | 36 | 34 | 28 | 37 | 35 | 363 | 49,177,315.00 | 9.9% |
| Whyte D.J. | 30 | 32 | 34 | 36 | 38 | 480 | 41,922,740.00 | 6.3% |
| Yip C.H. | 30 | 19 | 25 | 33 | 32 | 370 | 36,096,215.00 | 8.1% |
| Hall D.J. | 26 | 31 | 43 | 35 | 37 | 446 | 42,473,415.00 | 5.8% |
| Richards J. | 22 | 25 | 30 | 25 | 32 | 370 | 31,314,095.00 | 5.9% |
| Yung T.P. | 21 | 26 | 29 | 38 | 33 | 398 | 32,852,355.00 | 5.3% |
| Ting K.H. | 20 | 14 | 22 | 16 | 12 | 258 | 25,312,925.00 | 7.8% |
| Chang C.W. | 19 | 19 | 29 | 22 | 19 | 348 | 29,422,700.00 | 5.5% |
| Tsui Y.S. | 18 | 27 | 13 | 25 | 23 | 292 | 25,242,490.00 | 6.2% |
| Jockey | 1ST | 2ND | 3RD | 4TH | 5TH | STARTS | STAKES | Win% |
| Purton Z. | 138 | 85 | 69 | 55 | 33 | 593 | 213,311,025.00 | 23.3% |
| Bowman H. | 72 | 71 | 56 | 79 | 66 | 594 | 139,529,390.00 | 12.1% |
| Atzeni A. | 58 | 61 | 58 | 39 | 50 | 619 | 95,254,025.00 | 9.4% |
| Avdulla B. | 47 | 52 | 47 | 39 | 57 | 511 | 97,447,125.00 | 9.2% |
| Ferraris L. | 47 | 34 | 41 | 36 | 48 | 481 | 78,798,675.00 | 9.8% |
| Teetan K. | 44 | 54 | 66 | 68 | 57 | 634 | 87,564,880.00 | 6.9% |
| Poon M.F. | 36 | 38 | 56 | 44 | 48 | 560 | 60,272,525.00 | 6.4% |
| Leung K.C. | 36 | 38 | 35 | 39 | 43 | 447 | 57,231,450.00 | 8.1% |
| Chadwick M. | 35 | 41 | 51 | 38 | 44 | 576 | 63,578,737.50 | 6.1% |
| Badel A. | 31 | 51 | 34 | 54 | 52 | 519 | 67,345,700.00 | 6.0% |
| Bentley H. | 31 | 36 | 36 | 38 | 39 | 462 | 56,804,050.00 | 6.7% |
| Hewitson L. | 29 | 42 | 38 | 43 | 30 | 494 | 52,595,475.00 | 5.9% |
| Ho C.Y. | 27 | 29 | 24 | 14 | 21 | 256 | 42,179,915.00 | 10.5% |
| McDonald J. | 26 | 18 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 121 | 111,719,155.00 | 21.5% |
| Wong E.C.W. | 25 | 23 | 28 | 22 | 29 | 300 | 35,095,162.50 | 8.3% |
| Chau C.L. | 23 | 25 | 17 | 34 | 33 | 373 | 34,481,725.00 | 6.2% |
| Yeung M.L. | 20 | 25 | 27 | 31 | 33 | 434 | 31,339,175.00 | 4.6% |
| Chung Y.L. | 20 | 23 | 28 | 43 | 17 | 446 | 35,629,825.00 | 4.5% |
| Wong P.N. | 18 | 6 | 11 | 13 | 16 | 210 | 17,930,900.00 | 8.6% |
| Orman J. | 13 | 20 | 14 | 21 | 14 | 236 | 21,180,500.00 | 5.5% |
| Hamelin A. | 12 | 16 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 273 | 21,704,025.00 | 4.4% |
| De Melo K. | 12 | 9 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 244 | 18,532,725.00 | 4.9% |
Syndication Gains Momentum
To support broader ownership, the Hong Kong Jockey Club lifted the cap on syndicates per member from four to seven and raised the maximum number of horses an owner can have from five to seven. Syndicate-owned stars Ka Ying Rising and Voyage Bubble were joined this season by Group One winner Invincible Sage and Hong Kong Classic Cup victor Rubylot, reflecting the strength and accessibility of group ownership.
Prize Money Reaches New Highs
Total prize money reached a record HK$1.74 billion ($367m) in 2024/25. Several Group One races will see increases in 2025:
FWD Champions Day:
QEII Cup: HK$30 million (NZ$6.32m)
Chairman’s Sprint Prize: HK$24 million (NZ$5.03m)
Total Champions Day G1 prize pool: HK$78 million (NZ$16.45m)
LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR):
Sprint: HK$28 million (NZ$5.9m)
Vase: HK$26 million( NZ$5.48m)
Mile: HK$36 million (NZ$7.59m)
Cup: HK$40 million (NZ$8.43m)
Total HKIR G1 prize pool: HK$130 million (NZ$27.42m)
Conghua’s Strategic Role Grows
Conghua Racecourse (CRC) in Mainland China continued to play a vital role, with an average of 440 horses trained at the facility this season. In total, 219 horses from 19 stables recorded 302 wins — up 17.7% in number of horses and 24.3% in wins compared to last season.
Preparations are well underway for regular racing to begin at Conghua in October 2026, with the new grandstand nearing completion. Together with Sha Tin and Happy Valley, Conghua will complete a trio of racecourses that will boost the Greater Bay Area’s position as a major racing and tourism destination.
Tourism and Turnover Bounce Back
Total racecourse attendance surpassed 1.7 million, including a record 195,786 Mainland Chinese tourists — more than double the previous season’s 93,000.
Across the season, 88 race meetings were held, including seven summer series fixtures. Fans watched 847 Hong Kong races and 393 overseas simulcast events.
Racing wagering turnover climbed to HK$138.85 billion — a 3.0% year-on-year rise — marking a strong return to growth after a 4.5% decline the previous year.
This increase was driven by improved jackpot strategies, better field sizes, rising sports tourism, and the success of global commingling under the Club’s World Pool Strategy.