About 20,000 spectators pack into Happy Valley to soak in final day of horse racing season




16 Jul 2025


Tens of thousands of punters packed into Hong Kong’s Happy Valley Racecourse to soak up the party atmosphere on the last day of the horse racing season on Wednesday, with many saying it was the busiest they had ever seen.


A full house, estimated to be around 20,000 spectators, attended Happy Wednesday, which featured live bands, DJs and a fireworks display.


Happy Wednesday is one of Hong Kong’s two horse racing events that run weekly throughout the season. The Happy Valley event is known to attract a younger crowd and tourists with a lively atmosphere because of its HK$10 (US$1.30) entry and focus on food, alcohol and live music.


Hong Kong Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said that the crowd showed Hong Kong horse racing was more than a gambling spectacle.


“It is the excitement of Hong Kong, I think it will be a full house, and that is something which epitomises Hong Kong,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said. “It’s a passion for horse racing. It’s a passion of energy, of close finishes, dynamism.



Highland Rahy (6), ridden by Zac Purton, won the Class 3 over 1,650m at Happy Valley.


“Horse racing in Hong Kong is absolutely unique, and the most unique place in the world for horse racing is Happy Valley.


“Happy Wednesday is, for me, the ultimate world-class racing and entertainment. And you can see, this is not about gambling; it’s about the sport, it’s about fun and entertainment.”


For some spectators, gambling was not on the cards, with many of the young punters the Post spoke to opting to not have a flutter.


Anna Yeung and her friend Lena To, both 24 and working in marketing, were among them, and despite knowing “nothing about horse racing”, were attending their first Happy Wednesday.


“This is our first time, but it’s the last day of the season, so we wanted to come down,” Yeung said. “It’s crazy, there are so many people – I think we’ll come again next season.”


To added: “I really like the performances, and the vibe, everyone having fun with their beers, but I know nothing about horse racing.”


Happy Wednesday takes on different themes throughout the season, with the past five weeks this time around being “Music Festival”.



The Poon train, Matthew Poon win the Tony Cruz award,


The gates at Happy Valley opened at 4.30pm on Wednesday and within hours, the crowd had begun to swell, with thousands piling through the gates.


Teacher Andrew Hogan, 45, has lived in Hong Kong for 10 years but had not been to the races in more than six years. He went to Happy Valley with his son and a friend, and won more than HK$800.


“Happy Valley has always had that party atmosphere, but this is the busiest I’ve ever seen it,” he said.


“You come along, you don’t mind the queues, you don’t mind everything, because it is what it is. It’s Happy Valley races.”


Another one who hoped to win big was Parisian Nelly Laurent, 24, who had just arrived in Hong Kong earlier this month on a one-year work contract.


“Everyone told us that it was the biggest event and we had to do it,” she said. “It’s big, really cool .... I am looking forward to the music and the performances. I was here last week and it wasn’t as crowded as today.”


Hong Kong’s horse racing season will start again on September 7 in Sha Tin, before Happy Wednesday restarts three days later.

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An extraordinary 2024/25 Hong Kong racing season draws to a close at Happy Valley on Wednesday (16 July), concluding one of the greatest chapters in Hong Kong racing history.




Thanks to the rise of racing tourism, the two racecourses welcome large crowds of visitors from overseas and mainland China throughout the season.




The Happy Wednesday brand attracts many visiting tourists to the Season Finale meeting at Happy Valley.




Jockeys hand out mini horse plushies to thank racing fans for their support and to celebrate the successful conclusion of the 2024/25 racing season.

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nice to see ah lai back again,
hope to see more of the veterans (during the 2000's era) come back to AB GC again,
cheers!




This message was edited by Jimmy Tan on 27-Jul-2025 at 9:43 AM

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