Hong Kong: Cricket and Horses

Horse Racing in Hong Kong, (photo by Alex Havret)
Horse Racing in Hong Kong


Hong Kong Cricket Sixes

This weekend (27-28 October) will see the annual Hong Kong Cricket Sixes take place at Kowloon Cricket Club, with the home team hoping to set the tournament alight by winning the first match against Australia on Saturday morning.


First played in 1992 the tournament offers a high speed, action-packed version of the traditional game, and is now a well-known fixture on the cricketing calendar, featuring top international players. With matches taking just 45 minutes to complete, as opposed to the five days that Test Cricket can take, it’s a great fun way to enjoy the sport.

Horse Racing

If the prospect of turbo-charged cricket doesn’t get your juices flowing, another great sporting pastime in Hong Kong is going to the horse racing at the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Happy Valley Racecourse.


From September to July, there’s a buzz in the air most Wednesdays on Hong Kong Island, as form guides and newspaper pundits are carefully studied ahead of the floodlit night races on turf at Happy Valley race track. Most visitors who attend say that this is one of the most enjoyable experiences of their time in Hong Kong.


Take a tram to Happy Valley or catch a taxi (ask your driver for a racing tip – you can then of course tip him to return the favour), pay HK$10 at the public entrance and then wander between the trackside beer garden, open-air or airconditioned stands. Dress code is casual and refreshments are cheap, with good-quality pizza slices and meat skewers costing just HK$40, and jugs of beer starting at HK$125. There are up to eight races between 7.15pm and 11pm. The HKTB operates a Come Horseracing Tour that will pick you up from your hotel and provide seats in the Visitors’ Box, with a buffet and open bar for HK$600 per person.