Click on the links to find more details on the three elite races that make up the Hong Kong Triple Crown:
The Hong Kong Triple Crown is one of the most prestigious and testing of all race series in the country. Each year, the three Group 1 races of increasing distance that make up the event are a highlight on the Hong Kong racing calendar.
The Hong Kong Steward?s Cup is the first leg of the Triple Crown. Raced over 1600 metres at the Sha Tin Racecourse in January it offers a purse of HK$8million.
The second race in the series is the Hong Kong Gold Cup. The Gold Cup is a 2000 metre event held at the Sha Tin Racecourse in February and is worth HK$8million.
The final jewel in the Triple Crown is the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup. Held at the same racecourse as the first two legs of the series in May, it is run over a distance of 2400m and prizemoney is set at HK$8million, which is also the same as the previous two Triple Crown races.
It is an esteemed and extremely rare achievement for a horse to win all three Triple Crown races, and in the history of the series, which was came into inception in 1992, only one runner has claimed victory in the Hong Kong Triple Crown, the David Hill-trained River Verdon in 1994.
A HK$5million bonus is also on offer by the Hong Kong Jockey Club for any Triple Crown winning owner whose entry claims victory in all three races. If any horse manages to win any two legs of the series, the owner will be paid a consolation bonus of HK$2million. Although River Verdon is the only horse to provide their owner with the very lucrative first bonus, a number of great horses have succeeded in two Triple Crown races including Viva Pataca in 2009 who took out both the Gold Cup and the Champions & Chater Cup.