Racing returned to Hong Kong on Sunday, with world-class performances on and off the track, a crowd packed with travelling supporters, and an occasion the city’s leader called a “unique cultural icon”.Some 12,280 visitors, 74 per cent more than last year, made the trip to Sha Tin Racecourse to watch superstar Aaron Kwok Fu-shing get things under way, before Ka Ying Rising powered to a record-extending 21st straight win.The world’s best sprinter took home the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup in front of John Lee Ka-chiu, who led the celebrations for the opening ceremony and said he had noticed “many overseas visitors” at the track.It was strong evidence, the chief executive added, of the sport’s status as a “key driver of the mega-event economy”.“Last season, Sha Tin and Happy Valley racecourses attracted over 400,000 visitors from the mainland and abroad – a figure that doubled compared with the previous season,” Lee wrote in a post on his official Facebook page.“This not only demonstrates the strong appeal that the racecourse experience – combining world-class racing, dining and entertainment – holds for global travellers, but also reflects the tangible results of policies implemented since the current administration actively promoted horse racing tourism in the 2024 policy address.”