MANY hadn’t heard of Wuhan until 2020.
And now they have, it has the unfortunate tag of being labeled the coronavirus capital of the world – with the first outbreak of Covid-19 emerging from the Chinese city just over a year ago.
But a favourite pastime for the 11 million locals is horseracing – having made its roots in Wuhan over 150 years ago thanks to British traders.
In October, the city reopened and Wuhan Open Horse Racing burst back into action.
Familiar sights for racing fans at the Orient Lucky City racecourse include brightly coloured jockey jerseys, and the thoroughbreds have names for horses you might hear on our shores – ‘Freedom Fighter’ or ‘Ultimate Perfection.’
Punters line the grandstand, glued to their form guides looking for a winner – but there is one huge difference to racing as we know it.
It’s not money racegoers are hopeful of winning. Instead, prizes can range from household goods to even phone credit.
COOKING OIL AND CARS AS PRIZES
With gambling being illegal in mainland China, this is the only way around the law.
To place a bet, people scan a QR code on their mobile phones and then select a winner.
Should their luck and horse come in, they will win a prize. At a recent meet one lucky ‘gambler’ walked off with a cushion.
Cooking oil also features on the prize list and if you pick several winners in a row you might be the recipient of a rice cooker – or even a car.
“It’s different from foreign countries, the fun here is watching the horses in action and soaking up the atmosphere,” a punter told France 24.
Entrance to Orient Lucky City racecourse costs around £5.50, and brings as many as 5,000 people together.
And unlike race days over here, booze is kept to a minimum – with tea, juice and fruit often consumed instead of alcohol. Children are also present for the occasion.
WUHAN’S RICH HISTORY
Jacky Wu, chairman of the Orient Lucky Horse Group that runs the course, revealed that the love of horseracing began in Wuhan when the British started trading there in the 1800s.
He said: “Wuhan’s first racecourse was in 1864 and in the past there were four racecourses running at the same time.
Wu also called Wuhan ‘the centre of Western-standard horse racing’ in China over the regions of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia, which also champion the sport.
But horseracing was hit badly by Covid-19. This year four months of the season were cancelled, as 4,000 people lost their lives because of the virus.
Wuhan went into lockdown on January 23 until early April – with racing back on the sporting calendar from October.
Local jockey Xiang Yan revealed his relief at returning to the saddle after the long lay-off.
He said: “Riding every day is my habit and not doing so for a long time, I missed it.
‘PANDEMIC ISN’T OVER’
After a forgettable year in Wuhan, Wu is confident that horseracing in the city will thrive again. Especially since it has the backing of local authorities and China’s ruling Communist Party, who have vowed to plough money into equestrian sport.
“It wasn’t easy for us to get horseracing going in Wuhan this year and the pandemic isn’t over,” Wu said.
“But the fact we now have races on shows that Wuhan attaches great importance to horseracing.
“If all goes according to plan we expect to increase the level of competition, the prize money, the number of foreign jockeys and the quality of the horses.
“We will continue to invest in the next few years and it should be said that we are very confident in the future of Chinese horseracing, very confident.
“Horseracing in many cities has stopped, but Wuhan hasn’t.”
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