Hong Kong Racing Museum — Attraction in Hong Kong

At the Happy Valley Racetrack you will find the specialty attraction called the Hong Kong Racing Museum. This is a decent (free) museum to visit and something that horse and horse racing enthusiasts will enjoy.

The museum was opened in 1996 and provides a history of horse racing in Hong Kong as well as the founding of the HK Jockey Club, Happy Valley and Sha Tin Racecourses.

One of the things we enjoy seeing at the HK Racing Museum are the historic images of the Happy Valley Race grounds as they where developed since being founded in 1846. It is always interesting to see an early Hong Kong during the colonial era, the 20th century Hong Kong prior to the arrival of our skyscrapers and then present day views of our modern metropolitan city with a horse track in the middle of the city. The transformation of the city and the tracks is incredible!

At the museum, you will find other highlights including; historic horses, jockeys and historic races (trophies). There is also considerable text information in regard to the HK Jockey Clubs long history of charitable contribution and role played in helping to develop a better Hong Kong.

Overall, this is a decent museum that is worth visiting if you plan to attend the races at Happy Valley or if you have done the rounds of major attractions in Hong Kong and are looking for other interesting things...

History of Jockey Club racecourse presented here. Can take photos of the exhibits including a racehorse replica and the chair for weighing jockeys before they start the race. Highlights are the nice souvenir shop with Jockey club goodies like Polo shirts for kids and whole family. The museum could do more with setting out exhibits on how to identify a good horse, exercises that jockeys do before the race, nutrition, visits to the nearby racehorse area, docent by retired jockeys or retired racecourse workers of the museum and/or racecourse, history of the nearby racecourse itself (it has a rich and sometimes scary history), exhibits explainng the reason for diff design of trophies through the ages, lectures for adults explaining how racing works and how to identify good horses, reason of different types of ground (grassy/sand) for horses, workshops for kids e.g. making horse keychains or medals etc. The kids will like pressing the multimedia exhibits and it is a good respite from hot or rainy weather for 30 mins before heading out to the crowds in nearby Causeway Bay. Seats available right outside the small museum and toilets are clean with very clean baby changing room but no water fountain available. The museum is within 10 minute walking distance of a good children's playground inside the Happy...

Come vist the racing legend - RIVER VERDON, the only horse in Hong Kong’s racing history to win all three legs of the Triple Crown – the Stewards’ Cup, Hong Kong Gold Cup and Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup – within a single season, a feat that he achieved in 1993/94.

Born in Ireland and came to Hong Kong as a PPG (privately purchased griffin) in 1989, RIVER VERDON was raced by former Club Chairmen the late Sir Oswald Cheung and The Hon Ronald Arculli, and trained by David Hill. His sire BE MY NATIVE and his dam TUYENU were also owned by Mr Arculli.

His first racing appearance was on 29 September 1990 and he won all six races in his debut season, including the Hong Kong Derby and Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup. In the following season he further won the hearts of Hong Kong racing fans by beating all overseas rivals in the 5th Hong Kong Invitation Cup on 15 December 1991. He retired on 18 March 1996 and was sent to live with his full sister River Serein in Australia, where he passed away on 18 June 2005.

Racing fans will now be able to see a true-to-life RIVER VERDON, a work of taxidermy which will become a permanent exhibit in the Hong Kong...