Guangzhou to bring back horse racing after 27 years

After 27 years, Guangzhou in Guangdong province is set to host horse racing events starting at the end of October, as the city moves to deepen cooperation with Hong Kong in the equine sector and promote the integrated development of horse racing, cultural tourism and other related activities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, local authorities said.

The upcoming event, organized by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and operated according to the same standards as in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will be the first scheduled international-level thoroughbred horse racing event to be held on the Chinese mainland.

The event, which will be held at the Conghua Racecourse in the city's Conghua district, will feature racehorses trained by world-class trainers and ridden by top international jockeys, all governed by international racing standards and regulatory mechanisms. Local authorities will also launch a horse racing experience center around the same time.

Horse racing was first introduced in Guangzhou in the 1990s, but was later discontinued due to its associations with gambling. This time, the October event is positioned as a demonstration race with no gambling or betting involved, according to sources close to the government. It is expected to become a part of new cooperation between Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the equine industry.

During a local legislative meeting in February, Wu Sa, Party chief and director of the Guangzhou development and reform commission, said that Guangzhou would pursue the signing of a new round of strategic cooperation agreements for the equine industry between Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

"We will integrate horse racing with cultural and tourism industries," Wu said.

Additionally, there are plans to actively develop a deep cooperation zone in Conghua for the Guangzhou-Hong Kong horse industry.

Authorities in Conghua also plan to launch a series of horse-themed cultural and industrial promotion events, including a tourism route and a high-end industrial development forum for the equine sector.

Conghua, located in the northern mountainous part of Guangzhou, boasts unique ecological advantages and a long history of equestrian culture, with its horse industry over the years becoming a new growth engine for the integrated development of culture, tourism and sports.

In recent years, Guangzhou has prioritized the development of the horse industry, expanding its industrial chain with the construction and operation of racecourses.

The racecourse in Conghua, built by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, was inaugurated in early 2018. Featuring four tracks, 12 stables, a veterinary clinic, a horse swimming pool and other facilities, the racecourse can accommodate over 1,100 racehorses for training simultaneously.

The opening of the racecourse has boosted business for local residents like Chen Daqing and his wife, who run a grocery store at a nearby hot spring scenic spot. Hot springs have long been part of Conghua's foremost tourism resources.

"Since the opening of the racetrack, many visitors have been staying overnight to get a close look at the racecourse," Chen said.

The second phase of the Conghua Racecourse, currently the largest racecourse on the mainland, was completed recently and features a grandstand with a capacity to hold 9,500 spectators.

According to the outline development plan of the Greater Bay Area issued in 2019, Guangdong province and Hong Kong are encouraged to promote the development of equestrian sports and related industries while strengthening cooperation in areas such as quarantine, inspection and customs clearance for horses.

In the first seven months of 2025,Guangzhou Customs supervised the entry and exit of 5,927 horses, a year-on-year increase of 28.6 percent.

According to Lin Jiang, an economics professor at Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, as horse racing is a capital-intensive industry with a long value chain, regular races in Conghua could drive the upgrade of surrounding related industries.

"Conghua Racecourse could consider positioning itself as a horse breeding and trading center in South China," he said.

Its future development could include a thoroughbred breeding center, a horse auction and trading base, and a hub for the import and export of horses, helping to extend the equine industry value chain, Lin said.