Hong Kong Racecourse Increases Prize Fund
A record prize money pool of HK$1.28 billion will be on offer next season when Hong Kong’s domestic racing prize fund increases by eight percent, led by increased prizes for the BMW Hong Kong Derby and Four-Year-Old Classic Series. In addition, the Club has lifted the PP (Privately Purchased) Bonus for horses rated 80 or above from HK$500,000 to HK$1 million, and enhanced the bonus for Class 2 and Class 3 races at 1600m or further.
The pro-democracy movement that rocked Hong Kong this year has been nominated for a Nobel peace prize by nine US lawmakers, including Republican senator Marco Rubio. In a letter to the Nobel committee, the lawmakers praised the activists as global inspirations amid a crackdown by Beijing. They also called on the international community to redouble efforts to protect the rights of Hong Kong people and to push for freedom of speech, association and assembly in China.
Hong Kong’s top tennis player won the WTA 250 event in Riyadh for the first time on Tuesday, earning a cheque for $103,455. The prize money is second only to the prestigious season-ending tournament at the ATP World Tour Finals in Madrid later this month. Tennis players such as Andre Agassi, Rod Laver, Pete Sampras, Michael Chang, Ken Rosewall and Jimmy Connors have all won the event in the past.
In the same week, golfers will compete for a $1.5m prize at the 2024 LIV Golf Hong Kong Open on the PGA Tour in Asia. That is the highest prize money ever paid in a regular event in Asia. The tournament is one of two PGA Tour events in Hong Kong, the other being the Jonsson Workwear Open on the DP World Tour.
Prize money in the Hong Kong Snooker Championship has also been increased to HK$1.5 million this season. The snooker tournament is the second largest on the ICC World Snooker tour and the third-largest in the Asian region after the World Snooker Championship and the Asian Games.
The winning team will receive HK$12 million, with HK$6 million and HK$3 million awarded to silver and bronze medallists respectively. This is a significant increase from last year’s payout, which was HK$9 million. The money is the result of a new incentive scheme sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
HKJC chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said that the prize money rise was part of the Club’s efforts to provide an attractive reward structure to Owners, including those with potential for winning the BMW Hong Kong Derby and Four-Year-Old Cup. He added that the club would continue to review and enhance prize money and bonus structures for horseracing in the future.
To ensure the fairness of the draw, employees from HKJC’s security and customer service departments will carefully check and test every element of the draw process, including balls used in the draws, before and after each draw. The balls are then kept in a safe location for re-use.
