Making History
Meanwhile, the races themselves drew
a crowd of 16,000 despite the fact that
rain was an ever-present threat. However,
a clear sign that interest in horse racing in
China is growing came via figures for the
livestream. An estimated audience of two
million viewers tune-in to enjoy the races.
"The internationalization of the event
and its professional operation and devel-
opment would not be the same if it were
not for the event's sponsorship partners,
industry support, and support of the Or-
dos City Sports Bureau and Yiqi Banner
local government," said Jason Zhu, CEO of
the Inner Mongolia Yitai Desert Star Horse
Industries. "The Inner Mongolia Yitai Des-
