On track to host world-class events (hktdc.com)


	Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges is proud of Hong Kong's leading role in international racing

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (known as E.B), the new CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), one of the world's largest racing organisations, arrived in Hong Kong in 1998 as HKJC's Director of Racing. The former footballer said it was the highlight of his career to head a Hong Kong icon, which is also the city's biggest single taxpayer, charity donor and one of the largest employers. The Club's presentation to the International Federation of Equestrian Sports in London in April 2005 was instrumental in winning support for Hong Kong to host the Equestrian events for the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

"Hong Kong is the mecca of horse racing. It is a fascinating, dynamite city, full of pressure but there are some people who thrive on challenges and responsibilities. I am one of them.

When the late Alan Li, former HKJC Chairman approached me to take up the post of Director of Racing, he had a vision – to bring horse racing in Hong Kong to a world class level. I felt honoured to share in this vision and started work on 3 April 1998.

Fast forward nearly 10 years later and now I am the CEO. Tremendous improvements have been made with Hong Kong's can-do spirit. People in the industry see us as a world leader. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world operational model. We are proud of our not-for-profit business model governance framework and the fact that it has the world's highest betting turnover per race. We have 78 race meetings in Hong Kong and we have turned out world class champions such as Fairy King Prawn, Silent Witness and Vengeance of Rain.

World's best

We started an upgrading programme three years ago to increase the number of horse owners and the quality of race horses. I am proud to say that the owners' facilities have become by far the best in the world and a benchmark for elsewhere. Ownership has jumped an impressive 40 per cent and there are now over 1,000 owners owning 1,200 horses in Hong Kong.

Two of the lowest points in my 10 years here were undoubtedly Sars where there was hysteria and people were afraid to come to Hong Kong, then the deaths of two apprentice jockeys, Willy Kan and Philip Cheng - it was tragic and emotional.

Financially, the Jockey Club is in record surplus and we are doing well. Although we have significant financial reserves, there are underlying threats and competition especially from Macau which is competing with us on customers, products and services.

I think Macau with its limited number of casinos is an even bigger threat than Las Vegas. Hong Kong people spend time and money in Macau and the paradigm shift is to world class casinos. Yes, we should be aware of the social costs of gaming but we will lose out if we stick with a restricted framework and if we do not adjust to a changing environment. We have to look at these changes within the context of our charity and tax revenues and how this would put stress on our employment.

Ambitious masterplan

We have been working on a Racecourse Masterplan with a huge focus on the community. If we want to keep our customers, we need major investments. We used to have a captive audience but things have changed. There is alternative entertainment now with varied gaming opportunities and soccer betting. The latter is now legalised under us and we have developed the biggest soccer betting operation in the world, practically from zero to number one.

In the light of competition, we must rethink how we can make use of our race courses 360 days a year. The Jockey Club is not just a Hong Kong institution, we are mindful that we are a good citizen and the Club is not just for betting. We must rethink how we can get closer to the hearts of the community.

After the 2008 Olympics have come and gone, what is our legacy? We want to turn the Penfold area where much of the Equestrian events are taking place into a park with equestrian elements where people can point and say, 'this is where the Olympics took place'. There could be the Olympics stables, a museum with past Olympic winners and some retired world class horses, and pony rides for children and the disabled. I see this as a place for adding value to the community, where Hong Kong people would like to spend their time here.

And talking of the Olympics, never in its history had anyone needed to do a bid. One of the reasons why Hong Kong got the Olympics was because of the Jockey Club. We have a worldwide reputation that we can do things.

Can-do spirit

How do I feel about getting the Olympics bid? There was great excitement as it would put Hong Kong on the world map as a world class city with a can-do attitude. Yet, we were also a bit scared at that time. There was a normal placement cycle of five years to get everything ready but we had only two and a half years so it was a real challenge. There have been lots of hurdles but over the last six months, people have seen what we can do and they have 100 per cent confidence. Princess Haya, the President of the FEI was extremely complimentary and very impressed with our facilities in Hong Kong.

I feel strongly about the Handover*. Being German, I would rather think of it as a reunification. I would be right here in Hong Kong on 2 July at the HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup in Shatin. I hope to be still here celebrating HKSAR's 20th anniversary!'

* "The Handover" refers to Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule on July 1, 1997.