Sha Tin Racecourse facts for kids
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| Location | Sha Tin District,  Hong Kong |
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| Owned by | Hong Kong Jockey Club |
| Date opened | 7 October 1978 |
| Capacity | 85,000 |
| Course type | Thoroughbred |
| Notable races | Group One races: Hong Kong Derby Queen Elizabeth II Cup Champions Mile Hong Kong International Races Hong Kong Triple Crown |
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Southeast Panorama over the Sha Tin horse race course
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| Traditional Chinese | 沙田馬場 | ||||||||||||||
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Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Penfold Park is encircled by the track, and the Hong Kong Sports Institute is located immediately south of the property.
Michael Jackson planned to perform at the racecourse on his Dangerous World Tour, which was the start of the third leg, but was cancelled due to the conflict of the racing season.
History
It was built in 1978 (under the administration of Sir David Akers-Jones, the then-Secretary for the New Territories) on reclaimed land and is the larger of the two tracks in Hong Kong.
The course has 474 races per season including:
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- Hong Kong Cup
- Hong Kong Mile
- Hong Kong Sprint
- Hong Kong Vase
- Hong Kong Stewards' Cup
- Queen Elizabeth II Cup
- Sha Tin Racecourse Silver Jubilee Cup
- Sha Tin Sprint Trophy
On September 9, 2007, Sha Tin race track opened for the season with record 1-day crowd of about 60,000. Chief Secretary Henry Tang struck the ceremonial gong. The Hong Kong Jockey Club collected US$106 million in bets (highest since 2001). Children of horse owners were admitted amid protest of local anti-gambling groups. Sunny Power, booted by Howard Cheng got the trophy in the 1,200 metre dash.
Features
Originally built with capacity for 35,000 and one grandstand, it now has capacity for 85,000 and two grandstands. It also has 20 stables for a capacity of 1,260 horses.
Other features include:
- Equine Hospital
- Racing Laboratory
- Equine Swimming Pool
- Riverside Gallop
Track Specifications:
- Turf
- Straight: 430 metres (470 yd)
- Circumference: 1.899 kilometres (1.180 mi)
- All Weather Track(Dirt)
- Straight: 380 metres (420 yd)
- Circumference: 1.560 kilometres (0.969 mi)
See also
In Spanish: Hipódromo de Sha Tin para niños
