A jam-packed festive season awaits Hong Kong racing participants, with the Jockey Club approved to wedge a meeting between Christmas and New Year’s Eve to replace the October 8 fixture that Typhoon Koinu claimed.

While gaps in the schedule are limited, the Jockey Club has found room by moving the Happy Valley night fixture on December 27 back to December 29, allowing it to insert a Sha Tin day meeting on December 26 as a like-for-like replacement for the 10-race card it lost last month.

While the fixture over the Christmas period had initially looked spread out enough to offer those in the Hong Kong racing cauldron a brief chance to relax, it looks the opposite now.

Rather than a three-day break between meetings on December 23 and 27 and four days breathing space leading up to the New Year’s Day card, participants must engage in preparatory work on Christmas Day for the Boxing Day fixture before backing up again three days later at Happy Valley.

Jockey Club cancels Sha Tin races as Typhoon Koinu nears Hong Kong

Meanwhile, the Jockey Club has also gained government approval to increase its simulcast offerings from the beginning of next month.

“The Hong Kong Jockey Club announces that the proposals of adjusting maximum number of simulcast races have been approved by the government. The proposals allow the club to increase the maximum number of simulcast races scheduled per racing season on a local race day from 10 to 25 races; and increase the maximum number of races per simulcast day from nine to 12. The proposals will take effect from December 1, 2023,” the Jockey Club said in a statement.

What that means is there will be an extra 15 individual overseas races on Hong Kong race days – like last Sunday’s Group One Tenno Sho Autumn (2,000m) – and when the Jockey Club simulcasts one or multiple meetings – like the Caulfield Cup Day-British Champions Day mash-up on October 21 – it will be able to offer 12 races rather than nine.