Record crowd packs into Sha Tin hoping trainer Jimmy Ting’s good fortune rubs off
More than 92,000 fans, including at least 20,000 tourists, make the trip for the first meeting of the Year of the Horse
A thumping crowd of more than 92,000 flocked to Sha Tin Racecourse on Thursday, with fans from across the world hoping for some good fortune at the first meeting of the Lunar New Year.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club said almost 100,000 had watched the day’s action, with 92,612 spectators at Sha Tin and another 5,573 at Happy Valley. Some 20,395 tourists attended, a figure officials said was a record.
Trainer Jimmy Ting Koon-ho had a good start to his Year of the Horse, with jockey Richard Kingscote guiding four-year-old gelding Come Fast Fay Fay to victory in the day’s first race.
After a difficult 2025, Ting said he hoped for better luck over the next 12 months and “to win more races”.
By the time Kingscote led the first field home, spectators had been arriving in droves for several hours, with queues at 10am already an hour long at some gates.
The parade ring was soon packed for a performance by local Cantopop diva Kelly Chen Wai-lam, with officials including Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po and Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law Shuk-pui on hand to oversee proceedings.