Scenes from Happy Valley Hong Kong
February 5th 2010 05:06
My last post highlighted Sacred Kingdom winning a Group One event at Sha Tin - one of the two racetracks in Hong Kong.
The other racecourse of Hong Kong is Happy Valley.
Neil Murray was there to see the program at Happy Valley on Wednesday night - which as always included many names familiar in Australia with many Australian jockeys and trainers plying their trade outside of their country of birth in this dynamic horseracing centre.
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: Nugget Warrior on the inside in white. The angle is very deceptive. It looks as if Nugget Warrior has won comfortably but the margin was only a nose).
"There should be a time limit, and then they call it a dead heat. I don't think I've ever had to wait as long to run second" - David Hall, trainer of runner-up Merry Way - as told to the South China Morning Post.
Happy Valley was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong. Before it was built, the area was a swampland, but also the only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. To make way for the racecourse the Hong Kong government prohibited rice growing by villages in the surrounding area. The first race ran in December 1846. Over the years, horse racing became more and more popular among the Chinese residents.
On 26 February 1918, there was a fire and at least 590 people died. This is a fire with one of the highest casualties in Hong Kong history.
The racetrack was rebuilt in 1995 and is now a world-class horseracing facility
The suburb known as Happy is home to six cemeteries. Happy Valley is a common euphemism for a cemetery. The early history of this area is one of a high death rate due to a marshy environment which encouraged mosquitoes - and subsequent deaths due to malaria.
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: Brett Prebble and Keith Yeung looking up at the screen awaiting the judges' decision.)
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: the finish of race7, Prebble gets Happy Seven home from Hall's Happy Tumbler).
Don't forget to click all photographs to see the images in greater definition.
Research on the history of Happy Valley from Wikipedia.
The other racecourse of Hong Kong is Happy Valley.
Neil Murray was there to see the program at Happy Valley on Wednesday night - which as always included many names familiar in Australia with many Australian jockeys and trainers plying their trade outside of their country of birth in this dynamic horseracing centre.
night horseracing at Happy Valley
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: Nugget Warrior on the inside in white. The angle is very deceptive. It looks as if Nugget Warrior has won comfortably but the margin was only a nose).
"There should be a time limit, and then they call it a dead heat. I don't think I've ever had to wait as long to run second" - David Hall, trainer of runner-up Merry Way - as told to the South China Morning Post.
Happy Valley was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong. Before it was built, the area was a swampland, but also the only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. To make way for the racecourse the Hong Kong government prohibited rice growing by villages in the surrounding area. The first race ran in December 1846. Over the years, horse racing became more and more popular among the Chinese residents.
On 26 February 1918, there was a fire and at least 590 people died. This is a fire with one of the highest casualties in Hong Kong history.
The racetrack was rebuilt in 1995 and is now a world-class horseracing facility
The suburb known as Happy is home to six cemeteries. Happy Valley is a common euphemism for a cemetery. The early history of this area is one of a high death rate due to a marshy environment which encouraged mosquitoes - and subsequent deaths due to malaria.
night horseracing at Happy Valley
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: Brett Prebble and Keith Yeung looking up at the screen awaiting the judges' decision.)
night horseracing at Happy Valley
(Photo by Neil Murray. Comments: the finish of race7, Prebble gets Happy Seven home from Hall's Happy Tumbler).
Don't forget to click all photographs to see the images in greater definition.
Research on the history of Happy Valley from Wikipedia.
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