- Title: CHINA: FIRST HORSE RACE COURSE OPENS IN MAINLAND CHINA NEAR BEIJING
- Date: 5th September 2001
- Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (RECENT) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. HORSES IN PADDOCK BEFORE RACE 2. PEOPLE WATCHING 3. HORSE WITH JOCKEY/MORE HORSES WITH JOCKEYS 4. PEOPLE WAITING FOR RACE TO BEGIN 5. JOCKEYS TAKING HORSES TO START LINE 6. GROOM WITH HORSE 7. SOUNDBITE (English) NEW ZEALAND JOCKEY, KAREN JOHNSTONE, SAYING: "They're actually fun, great fun to work with, they really support everything we do and they're willing to learn, we have a good joke now and then, it's the first time they've had anything to do with horses, so really, it's all a big learning for them" 8. JOHNSTONE ON HORSE 9. PEOPLE PLACING "BETS" IN GUESSING GAME 10. "BET" BEING TAKEN 11. MONEY CHANGING HANDS 12. RACE IN PROGRESS 13. JOCKEY ON HORSE/GETTING OFF 14. HORSES 15. SOUNDBITE (English) KEVIN CONNOLLY, MANAGER OF THE RACE COURSE, SAYING: "Just logistically, it's a whole new industry here, so really, starting from scratch in every respect and teaching people, the whole thing is very new, so in that sense it was a little bit difficult, but as I say, not insurmountable" 16. HORSES RACING 17. PEOPLE WATCHING 18. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) SPECTATOR PING JUN SAYING: "I don't care which horse wins, the main thing is, it's a hobby, it's not about who wins" 19. PEOPLE WATCHING 20. SOUNDBITE (Mandarin) SPECTATOR SAYING: "This is the first time I've come to bet on horses, I just want to understand this kind of thing because I eventually want to move abroad and this kind of thing is popular abroad, I don't care which horse wins" 21. JOCKEYS ON HORSE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 20th September 2001 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BEIJING, CHINA
- Country: China
- Reuters ID: LVAE1EBZ3A3KO3OF5S1KYDJIUY61
- Story Text: China's first state-of-the-art racecourse has opened
near Beijing - promising to revitalise a sport that has
floundered under Communist rule.
It took two years and millions of dollars to build -
China's first state-of-the-art racecourse.
The Tonghsun Jockey Club opened less than two months ago
and while the crowds may not yet be on the scale of Churchill
Downs or Ascot, the course looks set to become a magnet for
horse lovers on the mainland.
In neighbouring Hong Kong, horse racing is a hugely
lucrative sport, but on the mainland it has faced major
obstacles. When Mao Zedong swept to power in 1949, gambling
was outlawed - and with it, the lifeblood of racing drained
away.
But now, with the new racecourse and thoroughbred horses
imported from Ausralia and New Zealand, the future is looking
bright.
Even foreign jockeys are flocking to the new racecourse to
help teach the locals about the art of horseracing.
"They're actually fun, great fun to work with, they really
support everything we do and they're willing to learn, we have
a good joke now and then, it's the first time they've had
anything to do with horses, so really, it's all a big learning
for them," said New Zealand jockey, Karen Johnstone, who is
here to train local jockeys.
While gambling is still officially banned, race goers can
still have a flutter - on a "guessing game" which lets the
punters choose between an odd or even-numbered winner.
Manager of the Jockey Club, Irishman Kevin Connolly, said
there had been hitches in getting the race course off the
ground, but he predicts a bright future for the industry in
China.
"Just logistically, it's a whole new industry here, so
really, starting from scratch in every respect and teaching
people, the whole thing is very new, so in that sense it was a
little bit difficult, but as I say, not insurmountable," said
Connolly.
The venture employs more than 600 people and over 1,000
horses and is backed by a Hong Kong company.
But other recent attempts to establish racing have been
hit by problems. An operation in Guangzhou was closed down
last year after it became embroiled in a corruption scandal.
For spectators, what's important is the fun factor.
"I don't care which horse wins, the main thing is, it's a
hobby, it's not about who wins," said Ping Jun.
The race course owners predict that in a few years, the
numbers of spectators could be as high as 100,000. But for
now, most people are just enjoying a taste of race day fever.
"This is the first time I've come to bet on horses, I just
want to understand this kind of thing because I eventually
want to move abroad and this kind of thing is popular abroad,
I don't care which horse wins," said another spectator.
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