History:
The Hong Kong Derby was first run at
the
Happy Valley Racecourse
in 1873. The original distance for the race was 1/1/2 miles (around
2400m). The first winner of the race was named Surprise. Over the years, the distance of the Hong Kong
Derby has changed several times. The race was moved to the Sha Tin Racecourse
in 1978 and has been run at Sha Tin since then.
The race is now run at the distance of
2000 Meters. Most Derby races are for 3 year old horses, however the
Hong Kong Derby is for 4 year old horses. This is because many horses
that race in Hong Kong are overseas imports. They generally need time to
develop after being imported to Hong Kong. Therefore the race was deemed
best for 4 year old horses.
After Group races were introduced in Hong Kong
during the 1991 season, the race was declared a Group 1 event. It
remains a Group 1 race today.
List Of Winners of the Hong Kong Derby since
1978
