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 |
| Sha Tin Racecourse | |||||||||||||||
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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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The Sha Tin Racecourse is a famous place in Hong Kong where horse racing happens. It's one of two big racecourses in the area. You can find it in Sha Tin District in the New Territories. The Hong Kong Jockey Club manages everything that goes on there.
Right in the middle of the race track is a park called Penfold Park. The Hong Kong Sports Institute is also very close by, just to the south.
Did you know that the famous singer Michael Jackson once planned to perform here? He wanted to start a part of his "Dangerous World Tour" at the racecourse. However, the show was cancelled because it would have happened during the horse racing season.
Contents
History of Sha Tin Racecourse
Sha Tin Racecourse was built in 1978. It was created on land that was "reclaimed," which means new land was made from the sea. Sir David Akers-Jones helped with this project. It is the bigger of the two horse racing tracks in Hong Kong.
The racecourse hosts many exciting races each year. There are about 474 races in one season! Some of the most important races include:
- 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, the racecourse opened for a new season. It had a record number of visitors for one day, with about 60,000 people attending! Henry Tang, a top official, started the event by striking a special gong. People placed many bets on the races that day, making it a very busy day for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. A horse named Sunny Power won the 1,200-meter race, with jockey Howard Cheng riding.
What You'll Find at Sha Tin Racecourse
When it first opened, the racecourse could hold about 35,000 people and had one main building. Now, it's much bigger and can welcome up to 85,000 people! It has two large grandstands for spectators.
The racecourse also has special areas for the horses. There are 20 stables that can house up to 1,260 horses.
Other important facilities at the racecourse include:
- An Equine Hospital, which is a hospital just for horses.
- A Racing Laboratory, where scientists study things related to horse racing.
- An Equine Swimming Pool, where horses can swim for exercise.
- The Riverside Gallop, a training track for horses.
Track Details
The racecourse has two main types of tracks:
- Turf Track (grass track):
- The straight part of the track is about 430 meters (470 yards) long.
- The full circle of the track is about 1.899 kilometers (1.18 miles) long.
- All Weather Track (Dirt track):
- The straight part of this track is about 380 meters (416 yards) long.
- The full circle of this track is about 1.560 kilometers (0.969 miles) long.
See also
In Spanish: Hipódromo de Sha Tin para niños
