Thursday, 25th September 2025
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Severe rainfall and the looming threat of Typhoon Ragasa have forced the Hong Kong Jockey Club into action, with Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting abandoned mid-program and Wednesday’s Happy Valley fixture scrapped altogether as a precaution, reports scmp.com. Racing was halted after eight events at Sha Tin when two runners, The Heir and Inno Super, lost their footing on the turn in the Class Four Kowloon Bay Handicap (1,400m). The incident triggered an immediate inspection involving senior jockeys Zac Purton, Hugh Bowman (who claimed an earlier double) and Alexis Badel, along with Jockey Club officials. Despite the track holding up earlier in the day, a single compromised section on the turn raised safety concerns – particularly after 140mm of rain fell throughout the morning. “We had unprecedented rainfall [in recent] weeks, but we had no issue regarding safety until race eight,” observed chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. “With the continuous rainfall, we could see there was one tiny spot on the track which, in a way, caused horses to lose a little bit of their action. The jockeys reported this, so then there was a discussion that led to the site inspection.” Officials agreed with rider concerns and made the call to pull the pin. “From our point of view, and from the jockeys’ point of view, it would not have been responsible to continue,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges. “There is the whole water that goes into this channel, and with all the water we had, 140mm since this morning, no other track could have even started racing.” The feature Class Two Yi Tung Shan Handicap (1200m) was one of two races lost but will be rescheduled as Race 11 on September 28. With Ragasa predicted to hit by Wednesday morning, packing winds of 210km/h and potentially triggering a No 10 typhoon signal, the club opted to cancel Wednesday’s meeting in advance. “We have studied intensively over the last week the whole forecast,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges. “When we look at three sources regarding the weather – Hong Kong, China and even Japan – the forecast is that the storm, which is a super typhoon, will be closest to Hong Kong on Wednesday morning. Besides the wind, it’s predicted to have massive, massive rainfall [and] significant flooding.” While the cancellation presents a commercial setback, estimated at HK$300 million in turnover and HK$30 million in lost government tax, the priority remains clear. “The commercial aspects are not the consideration, it is the safety,” emphasised Engelbrecht-Bresges. “We can focus now to make our facilities as safe as possible… there will be significant work necessary to prepare for the super typhoon.”
