3 minute read
Building any new facility is always carries the caveat that it must actually work and succeed.
Therefore the initial success of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s (HKJC) new Conghua training facility 200 kilometres into Mainland China from Hong Kong both surprised, delighted and presented new challenges for officials.
When Sha Tin was opened forty years ago the challenge was to persuade owners and trainers that the float trip to Happy Valley was not arduous and detrimental to their runners. This time the distance and travel time has expanded across borders to add to the complexity.
However, four hours by specially designed cross-border horse floats in an Equine Disease Free Zone from Sha Tin to the quarantine standard bio-security Conghua training site has rapidly become the norm.
At the moment Conghua houses some 120 to 140 horses in stables for nine Sha Tin based trainers with the 150 hectares training facility fully operational. There are nine single story stable blocks and one double story block with a total capacity, at the moment, for 660 horses.
Recently the Hong Kong Jockey Club Chief Executive Officer Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges commented that while the design of the HK$3.7-billion facility was to ninety to ninety-five percent to the original design, the quick uptake of the course by trainers to win races back at Sha Tin and Happy Valley had caught his team by surprise.
It was only back in June that the first racehorses entered the Conghua stables and transport between Sha Tin and Conghua was organised for a bi-weekly basis.
“The interesting part is that we expected a certain phase of development,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“First in discussion with the trainers it was that they would bring their young horses here, horses for refreshment and then after a certain period of time they would bring their horses from Hong Kong for two or three weeks.
“We expected that bringing them from Conghua and racing in Hong Kong would take one and a half years.
“This phase has come much quicker than we anticipated. That means we had to build up certain logistical aspects, we thought first we would have twice a week transport and now we will got to six days a week. But that is a positive thing that we have had extremely good acceptance.
“When people say that Happy Valley is already a significant trip from Sha Tin and then you have to say to people that you have to go across the border, it is four hours, you do not know the work force , it is a significant change management exercise. So that is why we were thinking of phases, longer phases, but the success of horses that have been trained here caught us a little bit by surprise,” he said.
It is no surprise that Australian John Size, Hong Kong’s champion trainer last season, is leading the way. Fours by float back in Australia is the norm with, for example, the ten hours trip from Melbourne to Sydney considered ‘just’ another float trip.
Size has spent time at Conghua getting his systems in place and the results show. Five Conghua based runners at Happy Valley two weeks ago on the International Jockey Championships card for two winners and two seconds. Four days later Danny Shum presented Regency Legend at Sha Tin for the LONGINES HKIR meeting for a win. To-date 25 winners this season have come from Conghua based horses.
“John Size is meticulous in what he does and how he plans it out and he has spent significant time here with the staff to ensure he is operating correctly,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“We decided from a risk perspective to start with nine trainers learning the facility and now we have requests from other trainers who would like to come here to Conghua. That is what you want to create and not push people. They now request it and we are happy to accommodate,” he said.
“We are yet to set an actual date, but potentially they could come up after Chinese New Year and then perhaps another two to three at the end of the ’19 season. Then progressively over the next three years increase the number of trainers here,” said Andrew Harding, Executive Director, Racing.
“The quality of the staff in the stables was considered paramount to ensure that the level of professional work was at the same standard to Sha Tin.
“It has always been part of the DNA of the Club to develop local talent and this vocational training has been long and meticulous of staff. We have had a training programme now for China for nine years.
“It is a long process to develop the skills, blend of skills and language sets. Importantly it builds confidence and the confidence of the trainers to entrust their horses to the staff,” he said.
In a year’s time there is planning to have 250 to 300 horses based at Conghua and when the refurbishment of Sha Tin commences the current capacity of 660 horses could easily be handled.
“The trainers have come up here and they have been really, really pleased. I think it was a great unknown for the trainers as to what the work force was going to be like at Conghau,” said Bill Nader, Director of Racing Business and Operations.
“They are really pleased with the dedication and commitment of the staff here. They take it really seriously and they look at the Jockey Club as a brand employer that they want to be associated with. Also for a job that has a career path and is sustainable into the future is something they really like.
“They have really embraced it and it has been an incredible story,” he said.
The HKJC will now start to fast forward the refurbishment at Sha Tin.
“We can start planning to be more intrusive in what we do at Sha Tin because we want to rebuilt perhaps 600 to 700 stables. But we had to be one hundred percent sure of the pace of acceptance here,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“Sha Tin will get significant investment, so we will now be planning the refurbishment and have more horses trained here than in our initial planning.”
Next for Conghua is an exhibition five-race meeting on March 23rd, not for wagering, but to showcase racing and the drawcard of Conghua joining with local authorities for tourism and future equine events including equestrian.
“After the exhibition races in March we will have discussions with our different stake holders as to how many we do and what is the right timing. And again we will start step by step as it is a significant change in infrastructure here with logistics. You also need certain approvals for public entertainment so probably for the first one we will look at four to five thousand people on-course,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“Stake holder management in China is eight or nine levels and our GM here and External Affairs management are very involved with the district. They can be pretty vocal is they do not like something.
“We have to be a good neighbour and that is a significant stakeholder management exercise,” he said.
In the meantime the calm and fresh environment of Conghua just might have Size humming along even more on the race track back in Hong Kong. For Happy Valley his runners arrive at Sha Tin on Monday, race Wednesday night and are back at Conghua on Friday.
The surrounding area has five-star tourist facilities for the famous local hot springs and Conghua fits into that very well for the thoroughbred population. The pace of change for Hong Kong racing will certainly be stepped up even more.
Part Two of a Two Part series on Conghua Racecourse.
