Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges on racing's big challenges

Superstars, opportunities, challenges and the crown jewel

A sunny Friday morning in December at Sha Tin racecourse.

Wednesday’s IJC lived up to its billing and Sunday’s leading Longines HKIR contenders are cooling off after their final workouts.

But business always bubbles close to the surface in Hong Kong and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges – who has helped steer the Jockey Club ship through three decades – is holding forth on a host of key subjects.

HKIR 2025

We have a long-term vision to make HKIR one of the key racing events in the world with the Dubai World Cup, Ascot, Arc weekend, Breeders’ Cup, and I must mention Australia, but international participation is key and we have the ambition to develop this even further.

We are delighted about the quality of horses we have. Not many people are willing to take Ka Ying Rising on, and the same applies to Romantic Warrior, but I think this year’s IJC was the best ever, with top riders from around the world competing hard but with respect.

Ryan’s winning IJC return from injury

I call him the crown jewel. I was in permanent contact with Ryan - and he wanted to come – so I told him we would wait until declaration time on Monday and if not then I would ride! He is somebody you wait for and, obviously, it was worth waiting.

Ka Ying Rising

Ka Ying Rising has drawn number one and that is not ideal. Beside him is Wunderbar, weighing 1200lbs as the only horse who has beaten him, and if he misses the start or there is a bumping game it will be an additional intriguing element to the race.

But he is the best sprinter I have ever seen. Silent Witness was great, but Ka Ying Rising has a way to accelerate with ease and has proven himself not only in Hong Kong but also in Australia, which is one of the toughest jurisdictions you can go to with a sprinter.

And Romantic Warrior?

Some people forget about him but his performance (when a close second) in the Saudi Cup was out of this world. J-Mac went a little bit too early - and he says if he could ride the race again he would win - but it was an amazing achievement against one of the best horses in the world.

For all the admiration I have for Ka Ying Rising, there is no doubt Romantic Warrior is a real super horse. And having two like this when you have a horse population of 1200 to 1300 horses is an amazing achievement. We provide the platform, but we must acknowledge the skills of owners, trainers and their support to bring these horses in.

Issues facing British racing

All those who understand the British industry agree that drastic reform is necessary.

I had a very long, constructive discussion with Lord Allen – who has a clear vision of what he thinks should happen to give racing a future – and a lot of things have to do with data rights and how you can consolidate this.

British racing is one of the best sports we have globally, with huge roots in the community, but the fragmentation of the industry means the funding model is broken and close to an inflection point.

Response to the recent Budget

The IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities) supported the case for different treatment of racing betting to other forms of gaming, so they have not been hit by the increase in taxation.

But the secondary effects of decreasing revenue streams for bookmakers will cut down sponsorship and funding and that creates even more stress to the funding model.

It would not be appropriate for me to tell people what changes to make but there are principles – and the principle is that the fragmentation of this industry is killing it.

The problem is to align industry stakeholders who have completely different interests, but I support the hypothesis that you have to make fundamental changes because it is at a breaking point when it comes to finance.

World Pool plans for 2026

The World Pool has fulfilled expectations and there are significant further growth opportunities.

I feel some partners are embracing it more than others and I think Britain and Ireland are working with us very well.

Some say: “It’s an additional revenue and I really don’t care” and some see this as an alternative income stream where they want to work with us to increase. And when it comes to allocation of fixtures, we will take the second group more into consideration.

That means structuring the race programme to optimise revenue generation - and if people don’t so this and say ‘we don’t care,’ then we have to look at alternatives.

Training and racing at Conghua in Mainland China

Conghua was a game changer - Ka Ying Rising thrives for being in the different environment there – and we will start racing there next October.

We do not have a roadmap for wagering on Conghua races from Hong Kong, but horse riding has exploded in Mainland China and we now have a chance to build a new racing fanbase there not necessarily based on wagering.

Studies show habits are well formed by the age of 13 or 14 and if you cannot be relevant to them at that age the probability that you interest them when they are 20 or 25 is diminishing by the hour.

Zac Purton and a possible successor

You need these top-class jockeys and here there is maybe space for three or four, otherwise you get a cannibalising effect for other riders and a reduction in their opportunities.

Zac is extremely consistent - and mentally he is one of the strongest jockeys you can find - but he has the nickname ‘Zac Attack’ and he can play mind games.

He is always advocating his successor, which is always interesting, but I still think we probably will make the decision.

Perfect script for Sunday’s HKIR races?

Safety is extremely important and I hope we see exciting finishes, world-class competition and not just a Hong Kong domination.

This is an international week and if your home team is too dominant – as was the case in Japan – then nobody wants to come.

This is why the performance of Calandagan in this year’s Japan Cup was extremely important, showing that you can win if you bring your best horses.

We are disappointed that we have no Australian horses here and I will be candid. Via Sistina’s owner wanted to come, the trainer no. But we need these clashes. Via Sistina v Romantic Warrior would have been quite something and the travelling of horses, the right horses, is what people want to see.

Threats and opportunities

For the sport in general, I think we have a massive generation change and if we are unable to widen our customer base, we will become a sport of irrelevance in five or ten years.

Going forward I would like to see that we create more global international events and that we unite more to advocate for the sport.

We must step back and say: “What is our strategy, what is our vision?” and overcome personal dislikes or egocentric people. Horse welfare is the other fundamental aspect. You cannot exclude injury, but you must do everything possible to minimise it.

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