History
Founded in 1884 as an amateur body to promote horse racing, it was an exclusive club whose membership was drawn from the upper class. During the 19th and early 20th century, there were few Chinese members. Three of the top colonial clubs at the time, namely the Jockey Club, Victoria Recreation Club (1872) and the Amateur Dramatic Corps (1844) "had not a single Chinese member between them".
The Club evolved into a professional institution from 1971. The Club organised the annual races which took place around Chinese New Year, and was initially financed by commissions on bets which were placed through private clubs.
HM Queen Elizabeth II accorded it with Royal Charter in 1959, and became "The Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club" (英皇御准香港賽馬會) until 1996.
In July 2005, the decision was made to stage equestrian competitions of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Hong Kong. The Club's racing centre at Sha Tin was used as the foundation for the Olympic and Paralympic venues, with additional competition and training venues being incorporated into existing sports facilities at the Hong Kong Sports Institute, the Jockey Club Beas River Country Club and the adjacent golf course.
Read more about this topic: Hong Kong Jockey Club
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