Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong

Brief Introduction of Happy Valley Racecourse

The Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing and is a tourist attraction in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. 

In 1846, the British dredged and cleared a swamp here and opened it up as a horse farm. Since then, it has been operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Horse race ground is the main night horse race venue at present, but there are also 1-2 horse race on Horse Race Day in this place every year.

History of Happy Valley Racecourse

It was originally built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British in Hong Kong. The area used to be a marshland, but it was the only flat area suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. In order to make way for the racetrack, the Hong Kong government has banned the cultivation of rice in surrounding villages. The first match was held in December 1846. Over the years, horse racing has become more and more popular among Chinese resident.

 By 1931, the racetrack had been built into a three-storey permanent stand. During the Japanese rule of Hong Kong, the racetrack was renamed the Qingyexia Racecourse. In 1995, the Racecourse was rebuilt again, and the glue track was cancelled, making it a world-class all-grass racetrack. Now races on the racetrack are usually held on Wednesday evening except for a few days. In Horse Race Day, the racetrack is usually held only once or twice a year. The rest were moved to Shatian Racecourse, which was held at dusk because of the relocation of overseas events. Later, it was cancelled.

How to Get There

Tourists can take the subway to get there.After getting out from Exit A of Causeway Bay Station on Island Line, tourists would walk 15 to 20mins to Happy Valley Racecourse.

Recommended Hong Kong Tour

1 Day Macau Tour Package From Hong Kong
2 Day Hong Kong Highlights Tour
4 Day Hong Kong Discovery Tour

Useful Travel Tips

• Horse Season and Racing Day
  Wednesday and Sunday in September to early July of the following year
• No entry to the racetrack under the age of 18
• Entrances: 
  A, B, C, D, F1 and F2 Entrances are Public Entrances, E is the Members'Entrance.
• Tickets
  Tickets are HK$10. You can pay by coin or on Octopus Card. Please be noted that the coin and Octopus are a different gates. Before entering, remember to see clearly so as to avoid the wrong line. 
• Bet
  The whole racetrack is very big, so you can bet whenever you see BET HERE. In addition to the manual counter, there are machine bets, but only credit cards or some electronic payment tools.
• Facilities
  Television screens can be found in many places. There will be horse races, horse race information, live broadcasting and so on. In addition to the track, the entire venue is free to move around, and seats are also free to sit excpet the VIP box. There's also an area for gourmet food and drinks.