Beijing Hong Kong Jockey Club Clubhouse
» Beijing, He Bei

香港赛马会北京会所

No.68 Jinbao Street

The Beijing Clubhouse is located in the prestigious Wangfujing area, within walking distance of the Forbidden City, the Tiananmen Square, the Great Hall of the People, the Beijing Art Theater, the National Museum of China, shopping precincts, major tourist area and key government and business offices.

A bit about the clubhouse

Here is some basic information about Beijing Hong Kong Jockey Club Clubhouse:

  • An Inheritance of Chinese Architectural Greatness: The Beijing Clubhouse occupies a land space of 16,000 square meters and a built up area of 38,000 square meters, with 3 stories above ground level and 2 stories of basement. The central building concept is uniquely Chinese with ornamental structures such as roof eaves and hand-painted crafts adding a dimension of sublime appreciation to its greatness.

  • Refined Sophistication with a Stately Aura: Contemporary with Chinese touches, the interior design exudes coziness against the external outlook. Manuscripts of paintings and objects dart doted throughout the building add a sense of sophistication and refinement.

  • Luxurious Home Comforts: 90 well researched guest rooms, each covering 550 square feet, offer spacious and luxurious home comfort.

  • A Treasure Trove of Culinary Delights: From Cantonese cuisines to Chinese delicacies and casual dining at our Coffee Shop, Lobby Lounge and Jazz Bar.

  • State-of-the-art Facilities: The diverse range of facilities include Ballroom, indoor swimming pool with skylight, Gym, Executive Centre and Reading Room.

Being a member of the clubhouse

Exclusively for the Hong Kong Jockey Club Full Members:**

  1. You can use all dining and recreation facilities at Beijing Clubhouse all year round without having to pay any additional monthly subscription, except a 10% surcharge.
  2. You can book up to 2 rooms for a maximum of 72 days per calendar year.
  3. You must accompany your guests at all times.
  4. Please pre-register with Hong Kong membership office before visiting Beijing Clubhouse.
  5. Please present your Membership cards when using the Beijing Clubhouse.
  6. For Absent Members, please apply for reactivation of membership before exercising the privilege under the reciprocal arrangements.

Mainland Members Privileges in Hong Kong:**

  1. Mainland Members may use designated facilities at the Happy Valley Racecourse and Sha Tin Racecourse throughout the racing season; also entitle to visit any of the Hong Kong Clubhouses for up to 3 consecutive days per month (un-used days could not be accumulated to the following months) but exclude access to Happy Valley Clubhouse on weekends and public holidays.
  2. The above use of the facilities will incur a 10% surcharge.
  3. Members must accompany the guests at all times.
  4. Please pre-register with Beijing membership office before visiting.
  5. Please present the Membership cards when enjoying the facilities

Exchanges between Hong Kong and mainland

Exchanges between The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the mainland can be traced back to over a century ago, when ponies from the Mongolia prairie were very popular in Hong Kong racing. Horse vendors would first transport them from the northern part of China to Shanghai or Tianjin, where the good quality ones would stay for further development. The remaining ones would then be shipped to Hong Kong for competition.

China's reforms and opening policies have brought about rapid economic growth, resulting in people's welfare and training being increasingly emphasized. Consequently, the development of equestrian sport and the horse industry on the mainland is now back to the track. As Hong Kong's biggest charity donor and promoter of equestrian sport, the HKJC is willing to support equestrian activities on the mainland. We also hope to enhance exchanges and cooperation with the mainland in terms of people's development and welfare.

The future of the clubhouse

Horse racing is still foreign to the mainland China. What will the future will be like?

To the hatcher of the club Chen Jincheng, the lack of horse racing culture in the mainland is the very opportunity for the development of the clubhouse. 'The history of clubhouse in the mainland is only 10 years, yet it has been 124 years since the establishment of Hong Kong private clubhouse. No matter in term of quality or class, we have all the advantages.' Said Chen Jincheng, with confidence, 'Now the registration of Hong Kong Jockey Club member is even harder to get. Over 800 people are still waiting for their turn. We strictly control the number of the members to assure the high quality and purity of the club.'

'To most of the member, the clubhouse is really like a home.' Said Chen Jincheng. A lot of members come to the clubhouse to exercise in the morning, and then start their day of work; then after work, they will come to the bar inside the clubhouse and have a drink. This habit has been kept by some members for over 10 years. A lot of activities in the clubhouse are designed for families, some even especially for women.

According to Chen Jinchengs introduction, in the coming 5 years, the clubhouse will attract about 3,000 members. After a years auditing, over 60 members have been accepted by the clubhouse, as there are still hundreds of people waiting for the admission.

Compared to the 3 clubhouses in Hong Kong, the Jockey Club Clubhouse in Beijing has more advanced facilities, and apart from the entertainment and dining service, there are 90 guestrooms especially for members from Hong Kong who visit Beijing often. From the height of the bed, color of the lights, to the temperature of the water in the bathroom, and different kinds of wooden floors, considerate service is provided with care.

What's special in Beijing

Although there is no racing court in Beijing yet, to show the tradition of the clubhouse, the construction of the Beijing clubhouse emphasizes on the horse racing culture, with horseshoe shaped doors, doorplate, bar counter and the badge of the clubhouse which is put up everywhere inside the house. Ma Zhanchun, an artist who creates art works for the clubhouse, has created over 1,000 art works for the Beijing clubhouse; the 'Hundred Horses' picture hanging in the hall is one of them.

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  1. How did Hong Kong racing begin?
  2. Going racing? Here are a couple of tips
  3. What and where are the Hong Kong's horseracing resources?
  4. Is there track bias in Hong King horse racing?
  5. Ant tips for betting?
  6. Anything I should notice when betting?
  7. Where can I check the match schedule?

  1. How did Hong Kong racing begin?

    The British tradition of horse racing left its mark as one of the most important entertainment and gambling institutions in Hong Kong. Established as the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club in 1884, the non-profit organisation conducts nearly 700 races every season at the two race tracks in Happy Valley and Sha Tin. The sport annually draws in over 11% of Hong Kong's tax revenue. Off-track betting is available from overseas bookmakers.


  2. Going racing? Here are a couple of tips

    If you are a professional horse racer, here are some tips for you:

    • There's no such thing as a sure thing, and the fastest horse doesn't necessarily win the race.

      Because horse racing is built on betting, those truisms have fed suspicions of race-fixing ever since the sport began. That hasn't stopped the public from wagering vast sums of money, but it has given rise to endless debate about how to ensure an honest horse race or whether that is even possible.

      Hong Kong has the highest per capita betting on the planet, which both heightens the level of suspicion and sharpens the Hong Kong Jockey Club's desire to make sure nothing undermines business. The Jockey Club has tried to scrub racing just about as clean as it can get. And still, with large sums of money involved, there is always a shadow of doubt.

    • Betting in Hong Kong has been on the decline over the past few years, and the Jockey Club is convinced that one way to keep the money coming in is to ensure the sport is as clean as possible.

      No racing authority puts horses under as much scrutiny as Hong Kong. Every horse declared to race is drug-tested before running A quarter of the horses are retested after the race, including the first two and the favorite.

      In the high-rise stable blocs at Sha Tin racecourse, 24-hour security cameras survey every stall. Horses are weighed before and after every race. Every visit by a veterinarian or farrier is noted and reported to the public.


  3. What and where are the Hong Kong's horseracing resources?

    Happy Valley Racecourse
    Most midweek meetings take place in the city venue of Happy Valley, where the tight and twisty circuit plays host to spectacular night meetings under lights. Happy Valley nowadays has only got a turf surface and with its unique characteristics, horses need to have an adaptable racing style to do well.

    Shatin Racecourse
    The modern Shatin racecourse hosts the majority of meetings in Hong Kong, including all Group One races. Built in 1978, this Hong Kong race track is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. Its a spacious and almost completely flat course, with two types of racing surfaces (turf and all-weather). Shatin caters to the racing preferences of most horses, giving all contenders a fair chance of winning in any given race. Race distances in Hong Kong range from 1000 meters to a maximum distance of 2400 meters and fields are no larger than fourteen horses. The Hong Kong Olympic equestrian venue at Sha Tin is where most of the Olympic equestrian competitions will be staged August.

  4. Is there track bias in Hong King horse racing?

    Yes. The most obvious track bias occurring in Hong Kong racing is at Happy Valley Racecourse, followed by the all-weather track at Sha Tin while the Sha Tin turf track is the less biased.

    Happy Valley Racecourse is a small track with tight turns, which means that it is best suited to front runners or 'on the pace' horses for the majority of times. The location of the rail in the C and C+3 positions make this more pronounced due to the track design. The location of the starting points also affects the bias and this is even more evident with the 1000m and 1200m starting positions, favouring horses drawn close to the inside rail.

    The rail configuration at Happy Valley was changed commencing February 2000 to incorporate the worked back design. Happy Valley is a typical old style city venue track and as such the size of the venue has not allowed the incorporation of transitional bends before the main bend. This again helps favour front runners or on pace horses.

    Most dirt or sand based all-weather tracks favour front runners, which is more obvious if the race tempo is moderate. When the track is sealed during the wet weather, it will become very favourable for front runners.

    Based on the statistical data (up to 2002/03 Season), Sha Tin turf track exhibits a small amount of bias, except the following cases:

    • Fresh ground on the A course usually favours front runners for the first race programmed on that meeting.
    • 1000 metre races on the C and C+3 courses favour horses from the outside barriers due to track design.
    • During the end of a racing season, when the track is showing wear due to the loss of the rye grass, it favours off pace horses.

    Track bias does occur and can even change during a meeting as the ground changes. While there are general indicators as discussed, there are not always hard and fast rules and these predictions may be inaccurate. However, understanding track design and track bias is a very important part of race-form analysis.

  5. Ant tips for betting?

    The following is a list of basic tips that you can follow when betting on the horses.

    • Bet only on horses you feel have a good chance of winning.

    • If you don't like a horse, don't bet on it.

    • Give preference to winners. Choose a horse that has won before.

    • Avoid betting on a horse that has just moved up in class.

    • Look for value odds as much as likely winners. If you keep looking for them, you will learn to spot them fairly quickly.

    • Look for a horse that has a fair chance of winning and is not overly backed. This is usually a good value bet in the long run. On odds of say, 10:1, you need to win once in ten attempts to break even. Anything more is net profit. Horses backed heavily by touting services and computer handicappers may win more often, but are usually poor value bets.

    • When the track is slow or heavy, give preference to fast starters. Slow, muddy and heavy track conditions usually favor the horse that takes an early lead.

    • A straight bet is simple, manageable and not too difficult to win. Play it but always weigh up the odds. Avoid favorites and long shots (outsiders) too. Be selective - don't bet on anything or everything.

    • When betting straight, consider betting to win and show, or each-way, if the odds are relatively high.

    • The sportsbooks or bookmakers are very well informed and have a very long experience in determining the odds. Their starting prices are usually excellent indicators as to which horses are likely to be among the first three in a given race. Sometimes the mass of the punters will put a lot of weight and money on a horse which will then go to a false price and because of that the other prices of horses will drift in the market, that is get longer. As a result a horse shown favorite or second favorite in the early starting prices may then drop down the list as the start of the race approaches and his odds improve significantly, that is get longer. This doesn't always happen but when it does, bet on the horse that was initially favorite. It is always a good value bet and in the long run you should make a profit.

    • If a horse is heavily backed just a few minutes before the start of the race and his odds are sharply reduced, bet on it. This is a strong indication that somebody has reliable favorable information about the horse that nobody else is aware of.

    • The horses to look out for in Lightweights Handicap Races are those whose overall form shows that they are capable of winning, regardless of the class of race in which they compete. Two or more wins in the form shown in newspapers are often indication of a possible big win by a low weight. An added bonus is they usually start at big prices.

    • When making selections, always give preference to a horse that ran recently. A horse that has not raced for several weeks may have suffered some setbacks like an injury or an illness. No matter how good his form was if it is not recent, chances are the horse will not win.

    • Give an extra point to an experienced jockey on longer distance races (over a mile). A jockey's ability assumes greater importance as the distance increases. Most apprentices are capable to break a horse fast, which is very good in sprint races, and the majority of their wins are usually accomplished under such circumstances. However, in route races (distance of longer than 1-1/8 miles) they usually do not fare as well. This is not necessarily because they are lacking in basic ability but because they are lacking in the experience needed to properly gauge the pace of a race. An experienced jockey can enable a front-running sprinter to perform as well in route races.

    • Also, give an extra point to an experienced jockey on hurdle racing than on flat racing. A jockey's ability becomes even more important in hurdle racing because no matter how fast the horse is if the jockey falls off or the horse pulls up, the race for that horse is over. There is not even a possible second or third place.

    • It is best not to replay your winnings, at least not immediately. If you want to be in control, you must put back in your pocket some or most of your winnings.

    • Do your homework before signing up to an online sportsbook. Four important things you should look for in a sportsbook: Are they members of a known Gambling Association? How quick do they pay out? How accessible is their customer service? What happens when there is a dispute?

  6. Anything I should notice when betting?

    There are three most important things that you should follow when you make a bet.

    • No person under the age of 18 is allowed to place a bet or purchase lottery tickets or enter premises where bets are accepted

    • Don't gamble your life away, if you have a problem with gambling, contact counselling service hotline 1834 633.

    • Don't bet with illegal bookmakers.

  7. Where can I check the match schedule?

    Here is a website leading you to schedule of Hong Kong horse racing: http://www.hkjc.com/english/racinginfo/key_races.asp

    So make a bet, and make a wish.

The monumental Beijing Hong Kong Jockey Club Clubhouse is a masterpiece distilling the essence of traditional Chinese architecture, offering supreme services and facilities. The vision is to provide a unique Home away from home in Beijing for members.

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