Quick question about Happy Valley horse race
Jan 13th, 2011, 02:05 PM
#1
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Quick question about Happy Valley horse race
I am leaving for Hong Kong in about 10 days and I wanted to see a horse race at Happy Valley. I believe the only horse race I can see at Happy Valley is on Wednesday, January 26.
My question is would I have to buy tickets in advance? Do the races get sold-out or does the venue fill up? I have not seen this topic addressed anywhere.
I am only there for one Wednesday and do not want to miss it. I am not sure yet if I will just pay the general admission or get the tourist badge. Also it does not seem like there is a tour that day.
Thanks in advance for any help!
My question is would I have to buy tickets in advance? Do the races get sold-out or does the venue fill up? I have not seen this topic addressed anywhere.
I am only there for one Wednesday and do not want to miss it. I am not sure yet if I will just pay the general admission or get the tourist badge. Also it does not seem like there is a tour that day.
Thanks in advance for any help!
Jan 13th, 2011, 05:24 PM
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The tourist ticket is probably the best way to go, as you get access to higher viewing stands. The basic admission price is HK$10, which is for standing-room only at the race track level, which for 2 hours of racing may be more standing than you want. The is also a seated public area where tickets are HK$20. I don’t think you can reserve ahead for either type of ticket, but see the website at http://www.hkjc.com/english/index.asp. While the races are very popular and the racetrack will be very full, to the best of my knowledge they don’t sell out totally except perhaps for the first race of the new year, which is not until February.
With the tourist ticket, you get a better view (not to mention a seat). This ticket is available by showing your passport at the Badge Enquiry Office at the main entrance to the Members' Private Enclosure at Happy Valley. An even easier way get this ticket is to go to one of the off-track betting centers like the one near the Star Ferry concourse in Central or on Nathan Road in Kowloon where you can buy the badges up to 10 days in advance. See http://entertainment.hkjc.com/entert...ist-badge.aspx for details. There are package tours offered as well, IMO you don’t need them.
You can also buy a combo ticket for admission to one of the restaurants which have very good views, like the Stable Bend. The food is rather average, but not expensive and the views and ability to buy a beer during the races makes the experience more enjoyable IMO. You can make a reservation for the Stable Bend by calling, you can also do so via the website as well. (See http://entertainment.hkjc.com/entert...servation.aspx) There is also a Cathay Pacific private lounge and restaurant which you can reserve if you are a member of the Marco Polo frequent flyer program. For a description of the various dining options, take a look at the website for the Hong Kong Jockey Club at http://www.hkjc.com/english/index.asp. Click on "Race Courses and Entertainment”
The easiest way to get to the race track is to take a taxi from the Star Ferry and have him drop you at the Members Enclosure Entrance. Otherwise, you can walk from the MTR or take the street tram, but these options are likely to be crowded. The easiest way to get back is to walk a bit away from the race track and either take a taxi or a bus or walk to the MTR. IF you can tell me where you will be coming from, I can give more precise directions.
The races are a hoot and a great way to see Hong Kongers at play.
With the tourist ticket, you get a better view (not to mention a seat). This ticket is available by showing your passport at the Badge Enquiry Office at the main entrance to the Members' Private Enclosure at Happy Valley. An even easier way get this ticket is to go to one of the off-track betting centers like the one near the Star Ferry concourse in Central or on Nathan Road in Kowloon where you can buy the badges up to 10 days in advance. See http://entertainment.hkjc.com/entert...ist-badge.aspx for details. There are package tours offered as well, IMO you don’t need them.
You can also buy a combo ticket for admission to one of the restaurants which have very good views, like the Stable Bend. The food is rather average, but not expensive and the views and ability to buy a beer during the races makes the experience more enjoyable IMO. You can make a reservation for the Stable Bend by calling, you can also do so via the website as well. (See http://entertainment.hkjc.com/entert...servation.aspx) There is also a Cathay Pacific private lounge and restaurant which you can reserve if you are a member of the Marco Polo frequent flyer program. For a description of the various dining options, take a look at the website for the Hong Kong Jockey Club at http://www.hkjc.com/english/index.asp. Click on "Race Courses and Entertainment”
The easiest way to get to the race track is to take a taxi from the Star Ferry and have him drop you at the Members Enclosure Entrance. Otherwise, you can walk from the MTR or take the street tram, but these options are likely to be crowded. The easiest way to get back is to walk a bit away from the race track and either take a taxi or a bus or walk to the MTR. IF you can tell me where you will be coming from, I can give more precise directions.
The races are a hoot and a great way to see Hong Kongers at play.
Jan 13th, 2011, 09:08 PM
#3
Cicerone covered the subject very well but I must add my 2 cents worth.
I think it is best to just take a taxi to the Members Enclosure. Show your passport and then you can buy a ticket.
That is what I did when I went to Happy Valley. I went on the day of the International Jockeys Challenge racing which is held the Wednesday before the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin. So, it was a popular day but I had no trouble getting in. It was not necessary to get the ticket in advance.
The Members Enclosure area is right next to the walking ring/ winners circle so you can get a great view of those and of the races. It is quite an interesting setting being right in the city. Get the tourist badge, it is not expensive and worth it. You can always cross over to the general admission area, and back IIRC (am pretty sure I did this). The food at the track was not very interesting.
After the races, I just went out the entrance, followed the crowd, and hopped on a tram. It was a great night of racing.
The races that I mentioned are at the beginning of December. Wednesday at HV, then Saturday over to Macau to see the racing at the JC there, and then Sha Tin on Sunday. Even on that day, I just showed up and got a seat in the clubhouse-type area.
Racetracks basically don't sell out. I think that you can even get into CD on Kentucky Derby day, though without a seat and can't get to see any of the racing. I showed up at Longchamps on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day and got in. Seats were sold out, but I went to the racing secretary's office to see if they had any leftovers or holdbacks. Sure enough, I got a great seat with a grand view of the entire course. For the Irish Derby, I booked our seats in advance on the www. Maybe you can do that at one of the links for the HKJC that Cicerone gave, but I would just show up.
I think it is best to just take a taxi to the Members Enclosure. Show your passport and then you can buy a ticket.
That is what I did when I went to Happy Valley. I went on the day of the International Jockeys Challenge racing which is held the Wednesday before the Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin. So, it was a popular day but I had no trouble getting in. It was not necessary to get the ticket in advance.
The Members Enclosure area is right next to the walking ring/ winners circle so you can get a great view of those and of the races. It is quite an interesting setting being right in the city. Get the tourist badge, it is not expensive and worth it. You can always cross over to the general admission area, and back IIRC (am pretty sure I did this). The food at the track was not very interesting.
After the races, I just went out the entrance, followed the crowd, and hopped on a tram. It was a great night of racing.
The races that I mentioned are at the beginning of December. Wednesday at HV, then Saturday over to Macau to see the racing at the JC there, and then Sha Tin on Sunday. Even on that day, I just showed up and got a seat in the clubhouse-type area.
Racetracks basically don't sell out. I think that you can even get into CD on Kentucky Derby day, though without a seat and can't get to see any of the racing. I showed up at Longchamps on Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe day and got in. Seats were sold out, but I went to the racing secretary's office to see if they had any leftovers or holdbacks. Sure enough, I got a great seat with a grand view of the entire course. For the Irish Derby, I booked our seats in advance on the www. Maybe you can do that at one of the links for the HKJC that Cicerone gave, but I would just show up.
Jan 13th, 2011, 09:22 PM
#4
If I read the schedule correctly
http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/F...1&calYear=2011
then the biggest race is a CLass 2, HKD 1,150,000 (that is about US $112,000), so no worries about a sell-out.
http://www.hkjc.com/english/racing/F...1&calYear=2011
then the biggest race is a CLass 2, HKD 1,150,000 (that is about US $112,000), so no worries about a sell-out.
Jan 18th, 2011, 08:23 PM
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The Holiday Inn Express is an excellent location for the Happy Valley racetrack, it should only take about 10 minutes to walk there. Your hotel should have a street map which will show you. But basically you will want to go left outside the hotel and go to the end of the block where Sharp St intersects with Canal Street. There is an elevated road here overhead. You want to turn left and follow Canal Street and the overhead road across a few streets until you come to an open area and will see the huge stands of the racetrack in front of you on the right. The main entrance is in the stands.
The neighborhood of the hotel is quite interesting and worth a walk. Be sure to go to the Bowrington Road market which is the local veg/meat/fish market and you will get some local colour. The G.O.D. Design shop just down the street from the hotel has some interesting stuff, a lot of house wares but also at the entrance there is a good bit of kitschy Chinese stuff for souvenirs. See http://www.god.com.hk/. There are many little boutiques in the area, in addition to the rather boring Times Square and Lee Gardens shopping malls (although they have good food halls and restaurants; the shops for the most part as the same chain shops as in the US or Europe. I assume you didn’t come all the way to Hong Kong to shop at Fila or the Body Shop.)
Also you can take the street tram from the Times Square shopping mall to various parts of town, a very scenic (albeit slow) way to get around.
There is a fairly major bus stop about 2 blocks from the hotel on Leighton Road in front of the Crowne Plaza hotel. This would take 2-3 minutes to walk to or from the stop. You can get to various places in town from here. Some info is below. While there is an “entrance” to the MTR in Times Square shopping mall, it’s a 10 minute walk or so underground to get to the trains, which are near the Sogo Department store. You can also walk above ground to Sogo. But I would not bother with the MTR for the most part, as you can hop a bus or a quick taxi ride to many places. It also is not a bad walk to go via Queen’s Road East into Wan Chai or Central.
The following buses might be useful. The bus stop for trips to Central is literally in front of the hotel, next to the tram stop. For return trips from Central, or trips in the direction of Causeway Bay/Victoria Park and North Point, the stop is across the street from the hotel in front of a 7-11:
10 – this runs on a loop from Kennedy Town at the far western end of the Island to North Point and back and makes several stops in Central. This is a great bus to take to or from Central and also just for going to neighborhoods like Kennedy town which offers a chance to see old-fashioned Hong Kong.
914 – from Causeway Bay via Hennessy to the High Court/Pacific Place II and then Central. This goes on via the harbour tunnel to Jordan/Mong Kok on the Kowloon side.
15B – this goes from Causeway Bay to the Peak. A good option to return or get up to the Peak if you don’t want to take the tram (or walk, I can give some directions for various walking options).
76 - to Aberdeen via Tai Tam and then Deep Water Bay, a pretty ride
92- to Aberdeen via the tunnel and Ocean Park. Not as scenic but faster.
948 – morning and evening only, to Pacific Place II, and the HSBC building in Central
By the way, the racetrack grounds are open every day to the public except for actual race times. There are usually school and club football games going on in the green space inside the track. So you should be able to go look at and walk on the track on the morning or afternoon of a race day. The access to the track is from the Wan Nai Chung Street, the opposite side from the main stands. As you are walking down Wan Nai Chung Road from the start at Leightron Road, you will see a low white building on the right about half a mile in. You can access the track via that entrance. It’s rather fun to see the track and surrounding Hong Kong from the enclosure vantage point (although it would be hard to see the actual race as you are at the track level).
The neighborhood of the hotel is quite interesting and worth a walk. Be sure to go to the Bowrington Road market which is the local veg/meat/fish market and you will get some local colour. The G.O.D. Design shop just down the street from the hotel has some interesting stuff, a lot of house wares but also at the entrance there is a good bit of kitschy Chinese stuff for souvenirs. See http://www.god.com.hk/. There are many little boutiques in the area, in addition to the rather boring Times Square and Lee Gardens shopping malls (although they have good food halls and restaurants; the shops for the most part as the same chain shops as in the US or Europe. I assume you didn’t come all the way to Hong Kong to shop at Fila or the Body Shop.)
Also you can take the street tram from the Times Square shopping mall to various parts of town, a very scenic (albeit slow) way to get around.
There is a fairly major bus stop about 2 blocks from the hotel on Leighton Road in front of the Crowne Plaza hotel. This would take 2-3 minutes to walk to or from the stop. You can get to various places in town from here. Some info is below. While there is an “entrance” to the MTR in Times Square shopping mall, it’s a 10 minute walk or so underground to get to the trains, which are near the Sogo Department store. You can also walk above ground to Sogo. But I would not bother with the MTR for the most part, as you can hop a bus or a quick taxi ride to many places. It also is not a bad walk to go via Queen’s Road East into Wan Chai or Central.
The following buses might be useful. The bus stop for trips to Central is literally in front of the hotel, next to the tram stop. For return trips from Central, or trips in the direction of Causeway Bay/Victoria Park and North Point, the stop is across the street from the hotel in front of a 7-11:
10 – this runs on a loop from Kennedy Town at the far western end of the Island to North Point and back and makes several stops in Central. This is a great bus to take to or from Central and also just for going to neighborhoods like Kennedy town which offers a chance to see old-fashioned Hong Kong.
914 – from Causeway Bay via Hennessy to the High Court/Pacific Place II and then Central. This goes on via the harbour tunnel to Jordan/Mong Kok on the Kowloon side.
15B – this goes from Causeway Bay to the Peak. A good option to return or get up to the Peak if you don’t want to take the tram (or walk, I can give some directions for various walking options).
76 - to Aberdeen via Tai Tam and then Deep Water Bay, a pretty ride
92- to Aberdeen via the tunnel and Ocean Park. Not as scenic but faster.
948 – morning and evening only, to Pacific Place II, and the HSBC building in Central
By the way, the racetrack grounds are open every day to the public except for actual race times. There are usually school and club football games going on in the green space inside the track. So you should be able to go look at and walk on the track on the morning or afternoon of a race day. The access to the track is from the Wan Nai Chung Street, the opposite side from the main stands. As you are walking down Wan Nai Chung Road from the start at Leightron Road, you will see a low white building on the right about half a mile in. You can access the track via that entrance. It’s rather fun to see the track and surrounding Hong Kong from the enclosure vantage point (although it would be hard to see the actual race as you are at the track level).
