Top tips for betting on Hong Kong racing
- Sep 26, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 7, 2024
Essential knowledge for betting on Hong Kong racing.
Part 1 - Handicapping and Tracks
1. Understanding the handicap system
In any given year, there's around 1200 horses registered for racing in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Jockey Club uses a ratings-based handicap system to rank all of these horses. Each horse is assigned a handicap rating which determines the class of race they are eligible for.
A detailed description of the Hong Kong racing class system can be found here. If you're betting on Hong Kong racing, this is essential knowledge.
2. Horses for Courses.
There are two main racetracks on Hong Kong and a training centre at Conghua on mainland China. Most racing takes place on the StrathAyr courses at Happy Valley and Sha Tin. There is also an all-weather inner track at Sha Tin. The StrathAyr turf profile (same as Moonee Valley in Australia and Kranji in Singapore) means that both tracks have an incredible ability to recover after heavy rain.
A wide range of rail positions from "A" to"C+3", have a marked effect on jockey tactics and race patterns. Track patterns change throughout the year. The Hong Kong climate plays a role with grass growth and summer and winter varieties becoming a factor in track bias. Hong Kong tracks are re-cultivated and re-sewn every year.
Pro tip: it is a good idea to refer to meetings held on the same course in the same month in previous years in addition to recent meetings. For example, if they're racing on the Sha Tin "B" course in September, what was the pattern last time they raced the "B" course. What was the pattern at the corresponding meeting in the previous year?
Happy Valley
The tight turns at Happy Valley are accentuated even more as the rail moves out. C+3 on the speed is the place to be, usually. Sometimes the rail is 'off' and swooping is the order of the day. Some nights horses lead in early races and are swooping by the end of the night. Astute jockeys, detecting a slow pace at 1800m, will sometimes set their horse alight in the back straight and loop the field to try and steal a break before the turn. Excitement plus! Hong Kong punters are well informed about the importance of barrier draws and well-drawn horses are often over bet.
Circumference: | approx. 1500 metres |
Straight: | 312 m (A course) - 335 m (C+3 course) |
Meetings per year: | 35 |
​Distances: | ​1000, 1200, 1650, 1800, 2200 |
​When: | 8 - 9 races usually on Wed night |
Sha Tin
Sha Tin Racecourse has the world’s first covered, all-weather parade ring, an ultra-modern equine hospital and racing laboratory; equine swimming pools, and other state-of-the- art horse training facilities. A long straight, but on pace is still the place to be, most of the time.
​Circumference: | ​1900 m |
Straight: | ​430 m |
​Meetings per year: | ​50 |
​Distances: | 1000, 1200, 1400, 1600, 1800, 2000, 2400 |
​When: | Weekends, Public Holidays​ |
Sha Tin All Weather
The all-weather surface is typical of the type with on pace runners being favoured.
​Circumference: | 1560 m |
​Straight: | 365 m |
​Meetings per year: | 3 - 4 stand alone as well as combined ST |
Note: Conghua is not currently used for betting meetings.
Hong Kong Ratings-based handicapping
Knowing which the races horses are eligible for is the key to finding winners in Hong Kong. Trainers regularly manipulate the ratings system to place their horses to best advantage. Up in class, down in class. Bottom of Class 3 versus the top of Class 4. What does it all mean?
There are 5 classes in addition to Pattern (Group/Graded) races and Griffin races.
Race Class | HKJC Rating Limit |
1 | - |
2 | 100 |
3 | 80 |
4 | 60 |
5 | 40 |
The Ratings Scale
The higher the rating, the better the quality of horse; for example, a horse with a 40 rating is rated as having far less ability than a runner rated 68, while a 102 rated horse is better again. Ratings can improve or deteriorate after each run. The HKJC determines each horse's rating.
Trainers aim to beat the handicap by racing against similar class horses without a big impost. The goal is to try to get their horses racing in the right grade, winning races. Horses sometimes race at an unsuitable distance or on an unsuitable surface with the intent of dropping back through the ratings. A succession of duck eggs in the form book then a win in lower grade is not uncommon.
Pro tip: familiarise yourself with trainer patterns. Identify trainer performance for horses going up or down in class. There will be an extensive article on trainer form factors in a future blog.
How does a horse's rating change?
The maximum rating increase for horses placed second to fifth in a race shall be 5 rating points. No rating increase will be made to horses placed sixth or lower in any race. This is where trainers might run dead to facilitate a drop in a horse's rating so it can run in a weaker class.
Winners' points increases are allocated at the discretion of the handicapper. Commonly an extra 6lbs, but can be more for an impressive winner with relatively unexposed form.
As can be seen from the graph below, the majority horses in Hong Kong are eligible to race in Class 4. A horse rated 40 can race at the 'top of Class5' or at the 'bottom of Class 4'. In short, they can race lower rated horses carrying a big weight or higher rated horses carrying a light weight. How weights are allocated in Group and Griffin races is explained here.
As at 26/09/2023, the highest rated horses in Hong Kong at 131 are Golden Sixty and Lucky Sweynesse. Current HKJC Top 50 rated horses
Superstar miler, Golden Sixty, was rated the world's best racehorse in March of 2023.
