Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) reported record commingling turnover of HK$28.8 billion as the 2023/24 season concluded at Sha Tin on Sunday, with 26 countries and more than 70 partners now commingling on Hong Kong racing. That total represented a 13.7% increase on the 2022/23 season, while overall turnover on simulcasting for the season was also up by 8.7% to HK$12.8 billion as Hong Kong continued to offer wagering on the very best of world racing through the World Pool. This year the number of World Pool races increased from...

"The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon" was bestowed upon the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) chair, Mr Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, by the Government of Japan at a Conferment Ceremony hosted by Ambassador Okada Kenichi, Consul-General of Japan in Hong Kong on Tuesday, July 2. Mr Engelbrecht-Bresges is the second-ever non-Japanese racing figure to be awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, following Mr Louis Romanet, IFHA chair emeritus, who received the same award in 2010. The Conferment published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of...

Asian Racing Federation (ARF) chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges will give the keynote speech during the opening session of the Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Sapporo, Japan from Aug. 27-Sept. 1. Also the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), Engelbrecht-Bresges will speak on key post-pandemic trends in racing and breeding, as well as exploring the most pressing issues facing the racing industry today. There will also be a panel discussion with Engelbrecht-Bresges being joined by Masayuki Goto, ARF vice-chairman and executive advisor to the Japan Racing Association (JRA); Suzanne Eade,...

The International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation (ITBF) has concluded its biennial Conference, this year hosted by the Japan Bloodhorse Breeders' Association (JBBA) over five days. The 70 ITBF delegates from 21 of the 27 member countries first attended the G1 Yushun Himba (Japanese Oaks) in Tokyo, before being flown to Hokkaido for a two-day tour. An array of world-class stallions were shown at Shadai Stallion Station, Darley Japan and JBBA Shizunai Stallion Station, as well as the exceptional facilities at the JRA's Hikada Training and Research Centre. The attendees later returned...

The International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities (IFHA) will hold its Global Summit on Equine Safety and Technology at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Canada June 12-14, the organization announced Tuesday. The last IFHA International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, which focused on safeguarding equine welfare and shifts in societal expectations, was staged in October 2023. "Equine welfare is racing's single most important priority, and it is at the center of all decisions we make," said IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. "That is why the IFHA has invested significantly in delivering an event...

The government of Japan conferred The Order of the Rising Sun, gold rays with neck ribbon, on the Hong Kong Jockey Club's CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges on Apr. 29, the HKJC announced on Tuesday. He received the award in recognition for his contributions in promoting the international development of Japanese horse racing and thoroughbred breeding. The Order of the Rising Sun dates back to 1875 and is awarded to people who have rendered meritorious service to Japan. Engelbrecht-Bresges said, "I would like to dedicate this decoration to the International Federation of...

Despite rainfall in excess of 250 millimetres, or nearly 10 inches, during the week, Sunday's FWD Champions Day meeting came off without a hitch, as local horses took home the lion's share of the HK$72 million on offer. "They did an extraordinary job, with these types of weather conditions, the ground was extremely fair and it enabled all the horses to participate," HKJC CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said of the track maintenance team. "Nobody could believe that with over 250mm of rain how well our track performed and provided fair going...

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges has been at the helm of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) since 2007, presiding over a significant expansion of the Asian racing scene. Emmanuel Roussel received an update from the CEO during last weekend's Hong Kong International meeting, with topics including the development of racing at Conghua on the Chinese mainland, and the potential for the HKJC to establish breeding bases in Europe and Australia to boost its supply of Thoroughbreds. Emmanuel Roussel: The international week is always a great event, so close to the festive season....

Officials at the Hong Kong Jockey Club could offer their devoted fans only limited access to the Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting from 2020 to 2022, a necessity attributable to the Coronavirus outbreak in March 2020, and while the attendance restrictions were gradually eased over the next few years, there were certain parameters and restrictions in place to ensure the show would go on. With things more or less back to normal in the SAR, the patrons--a reported 65,252 of them--poured through the Sha Tin turnstiles Sunday afternoon to...

The 57th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities, focused this year on safeguarding equine welfare and exploring shifts in societal expectations and the sport's response around the world, took place on Oct. 2 at Saint-Cloud racetrack in Paris. Organised by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), the day-long conference emphasized horse racing in a changing society, safeguarding equine welfare and explore shifts in societal expectations and the racing industry's response around the world. "Today we continued what has been a chief mission throughout the life of the Federation: equine welfare,"...

Prize money for the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) will be worth a record HK$118 million in 2023 and will again host the world's richest Group 1 turf races over 1200m, 1600m and 2000m, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Monday. The G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup received a 5.9% increase to HK$36 million, the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) has been boosted by 8.3% to HK$26 million, the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile (1600m) will grow by 6.7% to HK$32 million and the G1 Longines...

Following the news that the domestic prize-money in Hong Kong will increase by 8% during the 2023/24 season, the 2024 FWD Champions Day Group 1 prize-money will also rise to a combined HK$72 million, the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) announced on Thursday. The 2000-metre G1 FWD QEII Cup will be run for a purse of HK$28 million (£2,863,265/€3,240,543/$3,566,929) (+12%), making it the richest 2000-metre turf race in the world. The 1200-metre G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize and the 1600-metre G1 FWD Champions Mile will each hold a purse of HK$22...