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The government of Macau, the birthplace of racing in Asia, has announced that racing will come to an end in early April. This decision was made in response to the financial troubles faced by the debt-ridden Jockey Club, which had been overseeing the once-prominent Thoroughbred industry in the colony. The license that allowed the club to operate will be revoked, marking the end of an era for Macau's racing scene.
The recent announcement of racing's end in Macau has left many industry figures wondering what's next for them. Although the news of the sport's demise didn't come as a surprise, the timing of the decision has caught many off guard. Similarly, Singapore's racing industry is also ending this year after 180 years, leaving its trainers with uncertain futures. Some have already quit, while others are considering their next steps.
Gary Moore, an eight-time premier trainer in Macau, returned to the gambling mecca last year to resume his career. However, he received the news that his stint at the Jockey Club would be over in just 11 weeks. Similarly, rival trainer Joe Lau declined to comment on the issue. Trainers and jockeys, including expatriate Australian jockey-turned-trainer Geoff Allendorf, are among the 12 local trainers and 15 jockeys who will be affected by the decision.
The cancellation of horse imports to Macau last year led to diminishing fields and raised concerns about the future of racing. The lack of promotion and mismanagement of the Macau Jockey Club over many years were blamed for racing's demise by a former longtime employee of the club. They added that the race meetings could attract more Macau tourists if promoted properly.
"It's a great, great tragedy to lose Singapore, but to lose Macau following on. It has a long-standing history of racing in Macau for hundreds of years—even the Hong Kong Jockey Club started off in Macau—and this is a result of terrible mismanagement over the years. The last decade of management has been just awful," the source said.
"How do you have a racetrack in the middle of the greatest gambling hub in the world (that's unviable)? Macau is the biggest gambling country in the world—we're bigger than Las Vegas and we turn over more money than Las Vegas.
"It doesn't make sense because the Chinese like to gamble."
Last year, the Macau Jockey Club expressed its intention to withdraw from operating horse racing at Taipa to the Macau government's Secretary for Administration and Justice, André Cheong Weng Chon. As a result, the MJC's closure will affect 570 employees, and the government plans to relocate the 290 horses presently housed at the club to mainland China or other countries like Australia and New Zealand by 31st March, 2025.
Cheong claimed horse racing was "a waning industry in Macau, as well as in some neighboring regions. The Macau government has conducted a comprehensive analysis and determined that horse racing operations have not yielded the intended socio-economic benefits," the secretary said.
"Following the expiration of the contract, there will be no further public tendering for the operation."
The government will be receiving back the racecourse site and the club facilities at the MJC without any conditions.
The MJC's director of racing, Damian Yap, said yesterday's decision "was always coming," but he has promised to remain on staff for at least six months after the club's closure to ensure that horses are well cared for prior to being moved elsewhere.
"I am absolutely gutted," Yap told ANZ Bloodstock News.
"Horse racing has always been what we call the colonial heritage with Singapore going and Macau going, the whole thing. It's a sad day for racing in general, full stop."
A dejected Yap added, "Because of all the recent actions that have been taken, like no more horse imports coming into Macau, this was always in the pipeline.
"The date of the first of April comes as a little bit of a shock, as we thought we could get to the end of the season, but from April we'll just have to battle on and make sure the horses that are left behind are well looked after."
The Macau Horse Racing Company was granted a betting concession contract in 1978, which was revised and extended in the middle of last year up to 31st Aug 2042. However, the Macau SAR government rescinded the deal recently.
The Jockey Club has been facing financial losses for many years and was threatened with the loss of its contract in 2018 if it didn't repay debt of AU$28,401,928 to the government. The club's financial struggles increased in 2022 due to COVID, which brought the gambling industry in Macau to a standstill.
There were speculations that a white knight could save racing at the Taipa venue, but Chinese billionaire Zhang Yuesheng, the Yulong founder, who was considered to be the most likely candidate, won't be the one to take over the contract in Macau. Multiple sources have ruled out Zhang's interest in reissuing a license.
Magic Millions sales director David Chester still holds out hope that the industry in Macau, which now takes a backseat to Hong Kong racing, could be revived. Chester has been going to Macau since "last century when we had three auction sales."
"It's really sad as Macau could be so good. Everyone loves going there with the casinos, the restaurants, it's just a really fun place," Chester said.
"It's just a tragedy to me, but I am hopeful that the Macau government looks at other options and that it's not going to close forever. Maybe they might be able to find someone else interested in taking it over. I haven't given up hope that it'll continue, but it might be a while."
Shane Crawford, a native of New Zealand and a representative of Regal Farm, visited the Gold Coast yesterday to attend the Magic Millions' Book 2 sale. Crawford worked as a track rider in Macau for ten years, starting in the mid-1990s.
He remembers Macau as a place that attracted people from all over the world due to its glitz and glamor and a racing schedule that consisted of two-to-three weekly meetings. The city was once a melting pot of personalities.
"I definitely went there on the best days, that's for sure," Crawford said.
"I think it's been a great place for a lot of people and to see that just go, probably similar to Singapore. There's a lot of memories there for a lot of people and I'd almost call it my second home."