I was born in Hong Kong and have been back to visit pretty much every year of my life. When you have this sort of pattern with a city, you tend to want to visit the areas you are familiar with and won't see for a year. My brother and I stuck to Causeway Bay, TST, Mong Kok, and Sham Shui Po. These were the parts of the city where you used to be able to get bootleg games and movies (the government cracked down a few years ago and now pirated stuff is harder to find). However, in doing so, I missed out on a lot.
This year, we decided to try something different and headed to the famous Happy Valley Race Track.
This was extremely convenient since our hotel, the Cosmopolitan, is located directly across from the course. Races at Happy Valley are only on Wednesday nights and traffic around the area can be dicey since roads are blocked off because of how large this event is. I saw this firsthand when I was heading back to my hotel later and a mass exodus was streaming onto the streets at 11:00PM.
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| The Cosmopolitan Hotel |
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| View from Happy Valley |
As I headed over to the stadium, I didn't realize that the public entrance is at the complete opposite end of the area close to the hotel. It was a bit of a hike and we had to pass every specialty members only area before finally arriving at the common people turnstiles. It is a 10hkd entrance fee and you can use your octopus card if you have one. You will know that you have reached the cheapee area because you can see beer stalls just beyond the entrance.
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| Right past the turnstiles |
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| The first of many, many beer stands |
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| Lit up stadium full of people! |
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| The tables where you can place pitchers |
If you have never been to the horse races, GO. It is so much fun! The energy, the people, the beer, all make for a great night. I ended up going at around 7:00 but I found out that gates open at around 5:15-5:30.
Here is the official Hong Kong Jockey Club site with information about times, etc:
If you are with a group, I would recommend going early since there are tables attached to the various beer stands and they fill up fast. If not, you can get right up to the track. If the places around the fence are full, wait until the next race finishes. It gets really crowded leading up to a race and as soon as it is over, people disappear to go gamble more or buy food and drinks. People are extremely friendly and open to talking. Some random guy filled up my beer cup with the pitcher that his group had. Another couple started chatting with me about how to bet and that they go for fun every single week.
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| Right up against the rails |
I ended up gambling about 20hkd (minimum is 10hkd). I was with two other people and we all picked different numbers. We still lost, but it was all in good fun. Even if you aren't much of a gambler, put one bet down. It's an experience and even if you lose, there are bound to be people around you who are in the same position and then you can commiserate together!
There is something magical about being surrounded by the tall, lit buildings of Hong Kong and smelling horse and turf. When the horses start approaching your area, the crowd begins to roar and cheer, and even though the horses race past in a second, you can feel the ground shake.
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| I think some of the horses were unruly and had to be led... |
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| Yet another |
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| Others just ran by themselves to the starting point |
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| Man with newspaper he hopes he holds the answers to the race about to come past us |
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| 8 had a huge lead! |
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| Next race |
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| Even though 9 is leading, there is plenty that changes right near the end |
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| Official Hong Kong Jockey Club board with the HK flag in the background |
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| My winner! |
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| The people who clean up the divots while watching out for the steaming ones! |
The couple that was explaining the different types of bets told me how the boxes at the top of the stadium cost millions of U.S. dollars every year. They thought this was a complete waste of money since you would be so far from the action that it would be as if you were watching the race on TV. Even being in the restaurant distances you from the horses and the excitement of the crowd. I completely agreed. I would not have sacrificed being amidst the sea of energy for a better view. I think seeing a group of horses thunder past you is the best view in the house.
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| The restaurant |
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| The horses being paraded around before the race |
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| Up close and personal |
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| I can't imagine that is comfortable for the jockeys... |
Races are every 15-30 minutes. You can pick up a handy guide which tells you race times and the competitors. I ended up placing another bet and winning! Off of 20hkd, I received 134hkd. It was enough to get dessert and I count myself lucky. I chose number 4 on a whim even though it wasn't given high statistics for winning. As much fun as it is to be outside, that is how depressing it is to be in the area where you place the bets. The sheer number of people staring avidly at the giant screens, scribbling furiously on notebooks or newspapers, and debating the merits of each horse is a little troubling. During each race, the board posts how much money is riding the winner and on which bets. These numbers reach 20,000,000hkd and up, and this is per race.
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| SO much money |
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| I won! |
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| The winning ticket |
I can't even fathom betting my life on something so chancy. I understand that this seems to allow people the illusion of more control as opposed to games like roulette, but it is still unpredictable. I think the cartoon film All Dogs go to Heaven gave a more plausible explanation of which horses win. The movie joked that it was the horses themselves who decided who should win based on whose birthday it was!
All in all, if you are in Hong Kong on a Wednesday, I highly recommend you go. In a couple, a small group, or a large group, there is a great night to be had.
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