The Hong Kong Derby is a Hong Kong

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

 Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held annually since 1873. Restricted to horses four-years-old only since 1981, the race is run in mid-March and is the premier event on the domestic racing programme with a purse of HK$16 million (app. US$2 million).

The first Hong Kong Derby was raced at Happy Valley Racecourse

Happy Valley Racecourse

Happy Valley Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road.-History:...

 but in 1979 was transferred permanently to its present location at Sha Tin Racecourse

Sha Tin Racecourse

Sha Tin Racecourse is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Sha Tin in the New Territories. It is managed by Hong Kong Jockey Club.Penfold Park is encircled by the track.-History:...

. Initially run at 2,400 meters it was changed several times and was at 1,800 meters in 1999 when it was increased to its current 2,000 meters (10 furlongs) in the year 2000.

Since 1981, the Derby has been won by several horses who went on to earn Hong Kong Horse of the Year

Hong Kong Horse of the Year

Horse of the Year is the most prestigious honor in Thoroughbred horse racing given by racing organizations in a variety of countries around the world....

 honors including Football, Co-Tack, Yuno When and River Verdon. In 2003, Elegant Fashion became the first filly to win the Derby since 1976.

Since 2004 the race has been sponsored by Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...

.

Recent winners of the Hong Kong Derby

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2011	Ambitious Dragon	Maxime Guyon Maxime Guyon Maxime Guyon is a French flat racing jockey. Debut at 2005. Start from 2008, he received possessional license, won first group one at Grand Prix de Paris...	Anthony T. Millard	Lam Pui Hung	2:01.50
2010	Super Satin	Douglas Whyte	Caspar Fownes	Ranjan Tikam Mahtani	2:03.59
2009	Collection	Darren Beadman	John Moore John Moore (horseman) John Moore is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of legendary jockey and trainer George Moore, he began working in Hong Kong racing as an assistant to his father in 1971...	07/08 John Moore Trainer Syndicate	2:02.50
2008	Helene Mascot	Felix Coetzee Felix Coetzee Felix Coetzee is a jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Felix Coetzee was the son of a KwaZulu-Natal trainer and his grandfather was an owner-trainer. As a fifteen year old, Felix Coetzee attended the Jockey Academy at Summerveld then served his apprenticeship with his father's racing stable...	Tony Cruz Anthony S. Cruz Anthony S. "Tony" Cruz is a prominent horse trainer and former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Son of J. M. da Cruz, himself a well-known jockey, Tony Cruz is of Portuguese descent...	Wilson Woo Ka Wah et al.	2:01.3
2007	Vital King	Brett Prebble	Paul O'Sullivan	Chong Man-lung	2:02.9
2006	Viva Pataca Viva Pataca Viva Pataca is a Thoroughbred racehorse. Bred by the Dukes of Devonshire and Roxburghe, he was out of the mare Comic and sired by English Group One winner, Marju...	Christophe Soumillon Christophe Soumillon Christophe Soumillon is a Belgian Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Career:Raised in a horse racing family, he is the son of a horse jumping jockey Jean-Marc Soumillon. Christophe Soumillon apprenticed at Chantilly Racecourse in Chantilly, France to Cédric Boutin, and won his first race in...	John Moore John Moore (horseman) John Moore is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of legendary jockey and trainer George Moore, he began working in Hong Kong racing as an assistant to his father in 1971...	Stanley Ho Hung-Sun Stanley Ho Stanley Ho, GBM, GLM, GBS, GML, OBE , also known as Ho Hung Sun, Stanley Ho Hung Sun, is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Ho is sometimes nicknamed "The King of Gambling", reflecting the government-granted monopoly he held of the Macau gambling industry for 40 years...	2:04.6
2005	Vengeance of Rain Vengeance of Rain Vengeance of Rain is a retired Thoroughbred racehorse in Hong Kong that won Dubai Sheema Classic , the joint richest turf race in the world. Vengeance of Rain was foaled in New Zealand, trained by David E...	Anthony Delpech Anthony Delpech Anthony Delpech is a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey who competes internationally.Delpech's family moved to Durban, South Africa when he was thirteen years old and it was there that he embarked on a career as a jockey...	David E. Ferraris David E. Ferraris David E. Ferraris is now a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer in Hong Kong.Born into a racing family, his father, Ormond Ferraris, was a champion trainer in South African racing. David Ferraris embarked on his own training career in 1995 and went on to win the South African trainer's title four times...	Chow Nam & Raymond Gianco Chow Hon Man	2:04.3
2004	Lucky Owners Lucky Owners Lucky Owners is a New Zealand thoroughbred racehorse who raced in Hong Kong. Sired by Danehill to dam Miss Priority, he won eight races in his career, including the Group One Hong Kong Mile and Hong Kong Derby. He was retired to stud in 2004.-Trivia:*In Lucky Owners' debut race on January 11,...	Felix Coetzee Felix Coetzee Felix Coetzee is a jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Felix Coetzee was the son of a KwaZulu-Natal trainer and his grandfather was an owner-trainer. As a fifteen year old, Felix Coetzee attended the Jockey Academy at Summerveld then served his apprenticeship with his father's racing stable...	Tony Cruz Anthony S. Cruz Anthony S. "Tony" Cruz is a prominent horse trainer and former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Son of J. M. da Cruz, himself a well-known jockey, Tony Cruz is of Portuguese descent...	Leung Kai Fai	2:02.6
2003	Elegant Fashion	Gerald Mosse Gérald Mossé Gérald Mossé is a jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally in April 1983 and his success during his apprenticeship under Patrick-Louis Biancone led to an offer to ride for renowned trainer François Boutin and his stable of horses belonging to Jean-Luc Lagardère...	David A. Hayes	Gene Tsoi Wai-wang	2:03.6
2002	Olympic Express	Weichong Marwing Weichong Marwing Weichong C. Marwing is a Thoroughbred horse racing jockey. Based in South Africa, he has won a number of important international Group One races. He is well remembered for riding Irridescence to victory over the great Ouija Board in the 2006 Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong...	Ivan Allan Ivan Allan Ivan Allan was a champion race horse trainer and businessman.Allan became the subject of controversy after being romantically involved for over ten years with actress Glory Annen Clibbery. After a domestic violence incident in July 2000 Clibbery ended the relationship...	Larry Yung Chi Kin Larry Yung Chi Kin Larry Yung Chi-kin , also often called Rong Zhijian in mainland China, was the chairman of CITIC Pacific, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate. According to Forbes Magazine, he is one of the wealthiest person in mainland China, with a personal net worth of $2.2 billion US dollars as of March, 2007....	2:05.1
2001	Industrial Pioneer	Gerald Mosse Gérald Mossé Gérald Mossé is a jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally in April 1983 and his success during his apprenticeship under Patrick-Louis Biancone led to an offer to ride for renowned trainer François Boutin and his stable of horses belonging to Jean-Luc Lagardère...	Brian Kan Ping-chee	Albert Hu Si Nok et al.	2:03.1
2000	Keen Winner	Robbie Fradd Robbie Fradd Robbie Fradd is a jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing.Robbie Fradd, has ridden in his native South Africa and in Mauritius, Australia, New Zealand, Dubai, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. He was the leading jockey for the 2000/2001 Hong Kong racing season.-References:*...	Anthony T. Millard	Victor Lui Ting et al.	2:03.3
1999	Holy Grail	David Harrison David Harrison David Harrison may refer to:*David Harrison , English artist*David Howard Harrison , Premier of Manitoba, Canada*David Harrison , American*David Harrison , Welsh-English...	Ivan Allan Ivan Allan Ivan Allan was a champion race horse trainer and businessman.Allan became the subject of controversy after being romantically involved for over ten years with actress Glory Annen Clibbery. After a domestic violence incident in July 2000 Clibbery ended the relationship...	Mr & Mrs Michael C. Kwee	1:47.1
1998	Johan Cruyff	Eric Legrix Eric Legrix Eric Legrix is a French jockey who has won many races, including the Breeders' Cup Turf, the Hong Kong Derby, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Prix du Cadran....	Patrick L. Biancone	Thomas Liang Ting Sen	1:47.7
1997	Oriental Express	Basil Marcus	Ivan Allan Ivan Allan Ivan Allan was a champion race horse trainer and businessman.Allan became the subject of controversy after being romantically involved for over ten years with actress Glory Annen Clibbery. After a domestic violence incident in July 2000 Clibbery ended the relationship...	Larry Yung Chi Kin Larry Yung Chi Kin Larry Yung Chi-kin , also often called Rong Zhijian in mainland China, was the chairman of CITIC Pacific, a Hong Kong-based conglomerate. According to Forbes Magazine, he is one of the wealthiest person in mainland China, with a personal net worth of $2.2 billion US dollars as of March, 2007....	1:47.6
1996	Che Sara Sara	Michael Kinane Michael Kinane Michael J. Kinane is a former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009....	David Oughton	Paul Kan Man-Lok Paul Kan Man-Lok Dr. Paul Kan Man-lok, CBE, JP, , is a Chinese technology engineer.He is credited with having developed the world's first Chinese and multi-lingual wireless communication software/system in 1987 and is renowned as the "Father of Multi-lingual Messaging" for pioneering the wireless communication...	1:49.3
1995	Makarpura Star	Tony Cruz Anthony S. Cruz Anthony S. "Tony" Cruz is a prominent horse trainer and former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Son of J. M. da Cruz, himself a well-known jockey, Tony Cruz is of Portuguese descent...	John Moore John Moore (horseman) John Moore is a Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.The son of legendary jockey and trainer George Moore, he began working in Hong Kong racing as an assistant to his father in 1971...	Frank Wong Wing-Pak	1:49.5
1994	Super Fit	Gerald Mosse Gérald Mossé Gérald Mossé is a jockey in thoroughbred horse racing. He began riding professionally in April 1983 and his success during his apprenticeship under Patrick-Louis Biancone led to an offer to ride for renowned trainer François Boutin and his stable of horses belonging to Jean-Luc Lagardère...	Lawrie Fownes	Stanley Ho Sau Nan
1993	Helene Star	Eric Legrix Eric Legrix Eric Legrix is a French jockey who has won many races, including the Breeders' Cup Turf, the Hong Kong Derby, the Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the Prix du Cadran....	Patrick L. Biancone	Mr & Mrs Woo Po Shing et al.
1992	Sound Print	Michael Kinane Michael Kinane Michael J. Kinane is a former flat racing jockey. He had a 34-year career, retiring on 8 December 2009....	Brian Kan Ping-chee	Edmund Tam Wing Fan
1991	River Verdon	John Matthias	David Hill	Sir Oswald Cheung & The Hon Ronald Arculli
1990	Reliable Source	Maurice Philipperon Maurice Philipperon Maurice Philipperon is a noted French jockey who after retirement became president of the French jockeys' association.His winning rides in Gr. 1 and 2 races included:* the Prix Ganay in 1970, 1971 and 1980 on Grandier, Caro and Arctic Tern....	Peter B. K. Ng	Charles Lui Chi Keung
1989	William's Coach	Bart Leisher	Brian Kan Ping-chee	Ma Hay Yan
1988	Clear City	Tony Cruz Anthony S. Cruz Anthony S. "Tony" Cruz is a prominent horse trainer and former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Son of J. M. da Cruz, himself a well-known jockey, Tony Cruz is of Portuguese descent...	P. M. Chu
1987	Tea For Two II	Tony Cruz Anthony S. Cruz Anthony S. "Tony" Cruz is a prominent horse trainer and former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Son of J. M. da Cruz, himself a well-known jockey, Tony Cruz is of Portuguese descent...	C. L. Ng
1986	Yuno When	C. M. Cheng	Brian Kan Ping-chee
1985	Superior Gold	Brian Rouse	Brian Kan Ping-chee
1984	Baby Tiger	Philippe Paquet Philippe Paquet Philippe Paquet is a former jockey from France, who in 1974 was the winner of the Prix du Jockey Club on Caracolero, and the Gran Premio d'Italia on Ribecourt. In 1976, he also won the Irish Derby on Malacate, and the Irish Oaks on Lagunette....	T. C. Cheng
1983	Co-Tack	Tony Cruz Anthony S. Cruz Anthony S. "Tony" Cruz is a prominent horse trainer and former Champion Thoroughbred horse racing jockey.-Early life:Son of J. M. da Cruz, himself a well-known jockey, Tony Cruz is of Portuguese descent...	T. P. Wong