Chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges confirmed on Sunday night that the Jockey Club had lodged its basketball betting proposal with the Hong Kong government.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po announced in his budget speech last week that the government was considering legalising basketball betting, inviting racing officials to submit a proposal as they look to “combat illegal betting activities in an effective manner”.

“The proposal is with them and we have to see how they want to progress it. It will be interesting,” said Engelbrecht-Bresges. “Now, they lead and we only can follow because it’s a policy decision. They asked us to give them a proposal and we did.

“It is good that it has been recognised that there is obviously a significant illegal gambling problem.”

With illegal markets turning over between HK$70 billion (US$9.3 billion) and HK$90 billion on basketball last year, it is hoped the government could earn between HK$1.5 billion and HK$2 billion annually from legalised wagering on the sport, as it grapples with a fiscal deficit of HK$87.2 billion for the 2024-25 financial year.

It has been suggested the Jockey Club could offer basketball betting as soon as September.

Ho faces ‘long recovery’ as Purton eyes Derby

Engelbrecht-Bresges has also provided an update on the sidelined Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, who continues his slow recovery from a head injury and minor shoulder and neck fractures suffered in a race fall on February 9.

Ho posted a video of himself in the gym last week, saying he had started his “rehab journey and will be taking it one step at a time”.

“I personally think it will be a long recovery after so many concussions. I talked to him last week and said ‘take your time’. There is no rush,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

Ho’s most recent tumble was one of a string of bad falls endured by the superstar local jockey in recent years and there has been no suggestion yet whether he will be seen in the saddle again this season.

Zac Purton, on the other hand, is confident he remains on track to ride on Hong Kong Derby Day on March 23 after breaking his left big toe in a separate fall on the same day Ho was injured.

“I see the specialist again tomorrow just for a check up to make sure everything is in order, which I don’t see why it wouldn’t be,” Purton said. “Then I get the pins out next Monday, wait a couple of days for it to settle then we’ll get back on with things.

“I think the Derby should be no problem. I’ve been going to the gym and the physio and it feels pretty good, so I can’t see any reason I won’t be back Derby Day.

“There’s not much there [in the way of rides] so I could be back Derby Day but the way things are going I might be watching it from the room.”

Positivity around HKIS

A year after the Hong Kong International Sale (HKIS) saw its average purchase price drop by more than 30 per cent, there is some positivity from officials ahead of this year’s auction at Sha Tin on Friday night.

After a successful morning of breeze ups at Sha Tin on Saturday, 19 of the original 21 lots remain on track to be sold.

“We’ve had a really good RSVP rate and obviously wagering has seen a bit of an increase year on year, so it certainly feels like we’re in a slightly better position than 12 months ago,” Danny Rolston, HKIS executive manager, said.

“Based on a few of those early runners that have come out of last year’s sale, I think a few people have seen that they might have been a bit more of a value buy last year. The breeze ups were excellent and I think we’re in good shape.”

New Future Folks, Markwin and Perfect General are the gallopers from last year’s sale to hit the winners’ list and Rolston identified a couple of horses from this year’s sale he likes the look of – a Toronado gelding out of a Pierro mare and a Lope De Vega chestnut.

“Lots 11 and 17 are a couple of horses that have taken the eye a fair bit,” he said. “They’re two of the horses we’ve liked all the way through and when it came to the breeze ups they showed up as well.”

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