Racing ahead

A horse rests in a stable at the club. [Photo by Kuang Linhua/China Daily]

Some say that racing in China cannot flourish without the legalization of gambling. After all, betting is one of the few means by which the public can relate to the "Sport of Kings".

But Harrington disagrees. He says there is a distinct overreliance on the betting industry around the world, and China has a good opportunity to learn some of the positives and negatives from established jurisdictions.

"Each country has a different culture of racing and betting: in Ireland the focus is on family, in Australia it's a social event, and in Britain the emphasis is on tradition. China will have to develop its own identity," Harrington says.

He hopes that horses, jockeys and owners will eventually become national icons - personifications of the Chinese Dream.

Like other luxury industries, racing generates plenty of tax revenue and employment, so it merits government support. In this respect, China can learn a lot from the UK, Warren says.

He adds in the UK it is an industry providing 100,000 people with a job. Rearing horses contributes positively to the environment through the cultivation of grassland and hedgerows. In England last year, the Exchequer took in 275 million pounds from the trade in bloodstock, including training, export and private sales.

"It's an important part of the fabric of this country's economy, as in most racing nations," Warren says.

In five years' time, the CHC intends to catapult China to the forefront of the international racing scene.

To some, this might sound a tad ambitious, but Warren says the goal is possible because he believes Teo has the ability to achieve it.

"Because he built Meydan in a country that completely lacked the infrastructure, Mr Teo has a good grasp of how success can occur in a literal and figurative desert. He continues to create a fantastic, legitimate organization that hopefully gives confidence to Chinese people," Warren says.