3779. Fluff the horse

The HK Jockey Club

Vision
To be a world leader in the provision of horse racing, sporting and betting entertainment, and Hong Kong's premier charity and community benefactor.
Mission
To provide total customer satisfaction through meeting the expectations of all Club customers and stakeholders - the racing and betting public; lottery players; Club Members; charities and community organisations; Government; and ultimately, the people of Hong Kong - and thereby be one of Hong Kong's most respected organisations.

The Origin of Hong Kong Horse Racing
Horse racing in Hong Kong commenced in 1841 with the arrival of the British, who immediately set about draining a malarial swamp to form a racetrack at Happy Valley. With the exception of a few years during World War II, the track has seen non-stop action ever since. The Hong Kong Jockey Club was founded in 1884 and changed from an amateur to a professional organisation in 1971. A second racecourse was opened at Sha Tin in 1978.
The growth of the sport's popularity was attended by an increase in illegal bookmaking. In 1973, the Government authorised the Club to operate off-course betting branches to tackle illegal gambling head-on. Since then, the Mark Six lottery and regulated football betting have also been introduced to combat illegal gambling.
The Club has a long tradition of donating to charitable causes, but it was in the 1950s, as Hong Kong struggled to cope with post-war reconstruction and a massive influx of immigrants, that this role became integral to its operation. In 1955 the Club formally decided to devote its surplus each year to charity and community projects.
The Hong Kong Racing Museum at Happy Valley provides a valuable insight into how the sport has evolved locally since its mid-19th century beginnings.