Three New Zealand racing owners have been granted a historic first and will become among the first foreigners to be allowed to regularly race horses in Hong Kong.
While foreign-owned horses are allowed to compete at the international meetings in the mega-rich racing jurisdiction, horses that race there regularly have to be owned by Hong Kong Jockey Club members.
Those members, who until recently had to be Hong Kong residents, are then eligible to enter the ballot for import permits, which each equate to one horse they are allowed to compete at the Sha Tin and Happy Valley meetings.
The HKJC has eased those restrictions slightly in the last two years to allow a handful of overseas members and the only three new members with permits announced this week are all New Zealanders.
New Zealand Bloodstock and Pencarrow Stud owner Sir Peter Vela has secured membership and a racing permit as has his daughter Petrea Vela, a former managing director of NZB and now board member.