Hong Kong International Races (香港國際賽事) is an event consisting of the four most prestigious horse races in Hong Kong. It is hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
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The event is run annually in mid-December at Sha Tin Racecourse.
The event has been sponsored by Cathay Pacific Airways from 2004 to 2011. From 2012, the Swiss watch brand, Longines, will sponsor the event, with its official title as Longines Hong Kong International Races.
The event is televised around the globe. In 2006, the total purse was HKD62million, which was increased to HKD83million in 2014.
History
1989 marked the start of the Hong Kong Cup, which was initially called Hong Kong Invitation Cup and restricted to horses from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The first winner was Flying Dancer, owned by Lim Por Yen and trained by Ping Chee Kan.
The race quickly gained attention and was gradually opened to horses from other countries. Starting in 1991 other races were added to the program and today horses from all over the world compete in the event.
Hong Kong Cup
The Hong Kong Cup is the world’s richest turf race over 2000 meters with the total purse of HKD$25million in 2014/15 and was the finale of the now defunct World Racing Championships from 1999 to 2005.
Hong Kong Mile
The Hong Kong Mile has a prize money of HK$20 million. The race was first run in 1991 to mark the staging of the 22nd Asian Racing Conference, and was run over 1400m. From 1999 it was renamed Hong Kong Mile and run over 1600m. It became the World's richest mile race in 2002. In 2014/15, the total purse is HKD$23million.
Hong Kong Vase
The Hong Kong Vase was introduced in 1994. It is run over 2400m and has a purse of HK$16.5 million in 2014/15.
Hong Kong Sprint
The Hong Kong Sprint was debuted in 1999 and was run over 1200m. Since 2006, it has a HK$14 million purse, and it is one the richest the race in the world over 1200m or shorter with the total purse of HKD$18.5million in 2014.
Silent Witness became back to back winner of the Hong Kong Sprint in 2003 and 2004.