National Day Fervour

The 2019 National Day Race Meeting will be held on Tuesday, 1 October at Sha Tin Racecourse, when our star jockeys and nimble horses will compete in their fervent bid to win two important Group races – the Celebration Cup and the National Day Cup.

While these big races are, without a doubt, highlights of the day, the Club is always intent on giving guests a rounded experience complete with a captivating cultural programme. This year, we are particularly proud to work in partnership with the Xu Beihong Arts Committee to present a special artwork entitled Jiu Fang Gao Appraising a Horse. The piece is a montage of paintings – Jiu Fang Gao, Six Horses and Galloping Horse by Xu Beihong.

The Jiu Fang Gao painting is named after an equine connoisseur in the Spring and Autumn period of Chinese history. When he was tasked with picking a fine steed for Duke Mu of Qin, Jiu Fang Gao selected a black horse, not based on its physical attributes but on what he saw as its innate talents. The horse proved to be an excellent steed, silencing sceptics and cementing Jiu Fang Gao as an expert judge of talent.

Xu captures the very moment the connoisseur came face to face with the horse of his choice. Jiu Fang Gao is depicted as calm, resolute and sure in his selection, while the horse is seen as agile, active and eager. This scene takes centre stage in the montage, which also weaves in numerous other paintings of horses by the renowned artist. The overall image celebrates the beauty, strength, vitality and spiritedness of the horses. These are also the distinctive traits of racehorses competing on the track.

This montage marks a further call to promote the spirit of horse racing – having ambition and passion for a better tomorrow. It also very much represents our heartfelt wish for success and achievement as our world-class horses gallop towards a flourishing future.

And as is tradition at National Day Race Meetings, the opening ceremony will begin at 12:05 noon in the Parade Ring with renowned tenor, Wei Song, leading the singing of the national anthem, accompanied by the Hong Kong Police Band. The Guangzhou Song and Dance Ensemble will also present a unique, acrobatic drumming performance, while the Global Horse Art Exhibition – organised by Guangdong Equestrian Association – will be displayed in the Members’ enclosure area at Sha Tin Racecourse, adding to the spectacular vitality and diversity of experiences on the day. Members looking to commemorate this special day can also peruse our collection of souvenir envelopes, jointly issued by the Club and the Hongkong Post.