A
fter a three-hour ride by car
from Hong Kong, crossing the
Shenzhen-Hong Kong border
and passing by the Guang-
zhou Baiyun International Air-
port along the way, we finally arrived at the
Conghua Training Centre, the Hong Kong
Jockey Club (HKJC)'s latest investment in
Guangdong Province in Southern China.
The lavish Conghua Training Centre is
one of the most expensive investments
the HKJC has undertaken since build-
ing Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong
40 years ago. The HK$3.7 billion training
centre not only mimics Sha Tin, minus the
grandstand, but the facilities it offers are
way above and beyond what Hong Kong
currently has – four racetracks together
with an 1100-metre uphill gallop; 20 spell-
ing paddocks; a world-class veterinary
hospital equipped with an x-ray unit, an
exam room, and operating suites; and a
rehabilitation unit that includes salt-water
spas and an aqua treadmill to treat injured
horses. Louis Romanet, Chairman of the
International Federation of Horseracing
Authorities, described the Conghua site
as "truly exceptional" while Racing Austra-
