The Hong Kong Jockey Club Focus
Members of The Racing Club marvel at Melbourne’s myriad attractions, including one of horse racing’s top-shelf events
For most people in Hong Kong, travelling is like reading a book—they don’t stop reading after just one page. For even the most seasoned traveller, however, the city of Melbourne presents a truly stand-out experience.
Melbourne is a perennial chart-topper on the list of the world’s most liveable cities, noted for both its natural beauty and its vibrant city life. Whether you’re in town for the week or have lived there all your life, the city’s food, drink, art, music and sporting culture provide regular surprises to the intrepid adventurer. And not least among its pleasures is the “race that stops a nation,” the Melbourne Cup.
While many non-Melburnian racing fans have watched a simulcast of one of the most prestigious horse races in the world, members of The Racing Club were trackside at the Flemington Racecourse in early November.
From a private marquee with sweeping views of the racecourse, they witnessed Vow and Declare, ridden by Australian jockey Craig Williams, give the country a much-longed-for victory, seeing off a field of 24 rivals to claim his first Melbourne Cup. The members got to see Vow and Declare’s extraordinary run amid the adrenaline-filled atmosphere of the Flemington Racecourse, all while enjoying an array of delicious food and drinks.
However, the excitement didn’t end that day and for lovers of horses, there is nothing better than having a chance to learn more about the horse-racing community in Melbourne than with a visit to Gai Waterhouse’s Flemington Stables and meet Gai herself, known as the first lady of Australian racing, who offered a tour of her stables and a sneak peek at the Melbourne Cup trophy.
The members paid a visit to Swettenham Stud, a stallion farm encompassing facilities for stallions, mares, foals and yearlings, and got to ride horses at a Western-themed adventure park in the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, among horses grazing and views of green pastures.
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