Happy Valley Racecourse

View of the racecourse
Location	Wan Chai District, Hong Kong
Owned by	Hong Kong Jockey Club
Date opened	1845; 179 years ago (1845)
Capacity	55,000[1]
Course type	Thoroughbred
Official website

Happy Valley Racecourse
Westerly panorama of the racecourse
Racecourse at night
Traditional Chinese	快活谷馬場
Simplified Chinese	快活谷马场
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Kuàihuogǔ mǎchǎng Yale Romanization Kwàihwogǔ mǎchǎng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Faai wuht gùk máh cheùhng Jyutping Faai3 wut6 guk1 maa5 coeng4 IPA [fāːi wʊ̀t kʊ̂k ma̬ː tsʰœ̏ːŋ]
Alternative Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	跑馬地馬場
Simplified Chinese	跑马地马场
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Pǎomǎdì mǎchǎng Yale Romanization Pǎumǎdì mǎchǎng Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Paaú màh deí máh cheùhng Jyutping Paau2 maa5 dei2 maa5 coeng4 IPA [pʰǎːu ma̬ː těi ma̬ː tsʰœ̏ːŋ]

The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing and is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. The capacity of the venue is 55,000.^[2]

History

It was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong. The area was previously swampland, but the only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. To make way for the racecourse, 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.^[3]

On 26 February 1918, a temporary grandstand collapsed, knocking over hot food stalls that set bamboo matting ablaze. In the fire that ensued at least 590 people died.^[4][5]

Over the years, facilities have been added and extended, including extensively in 1995.

Facilities

The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of two racecourses in Hong Kong used by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for horse racing meets, the other being the Sha Tin Racecourse. Races in Happy Valley usually take place on Wednesday nights^[6] and are open to the public as well as members of the Club.^[7] The Happy Valley Racecourse and its seven-storey stands are capable of accommodating approximately 55,000 spectators.^[8]

The inner field of the course contains sports and leisure facilities such as football (a total of 11), hockey and rugby fields, managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.^[9]

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Archive and Museum

The Hong Kong Jockey Club Archive and Museum (or Hong Kong Racing Museum) was set up in 1995 and opened on 18 October 1996.^[10] It is now located on the second floor of the Happy Valley Stand of the racecourse.

There are four galleries in the museum:

• The Origin of Our Horses: Shows the migration route horses travelled in the early days from the northern part of China to Hong Kong.
• Shaping Sha Tin: Exhibits the history of construction of Sha Tin Racecourse.
• Understanding Horses: Exhibits the skeleton of the three-time Hong Kong Champion Silver Lining.
• Thematic Exhibitions: The history of the Jockey Club is exhibited. Selected charitable organisations and community projects supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust are also displayed in this gallery.

There is also a cinema and a souvenir shop in the museum.