All PPs, before they can be imported into the Hong Kong SAR, must fulfill the following import criteria and starts conditions laid down by the Stewards of the Jockey Club which may be amended as and when necessary: -

 

1. Qualifications

 

Europe

• Horses must have an International Rating of 80 or higher at the time of import.

 

Australia

• Horses must have won a race at a Metropolitan track (see listed below).
• Or won a race of an advertised value of at least AUS$15,000.
• Or if they have not won a race have been placed 2nd or 3rd in a Group or Listed race.

• Metropolitan Tracks in Australia

  Western Australia	Ascot	Belmont
  South Australia	Morphettville	Cheltenham
  	Victoria Park	Oakbank (at Easter - 2 days)
  Victoria	Flemington	Caulfield
  	Sandown	Moonee Valley
  Tasmania	Elwick Mowbray
  New South Wales	Randwick	Warwick Farms
  	Rosehill	Canterbury
  Queensland	Eagle Farm	Doomben
  	Ipswich (only on Ipswich Cup (Gr.3) day in July)
  	Gold Coast (only on Magic Millions day in January)

 

New Zealand

• Horses must have won a race of an advertised value of at least NZ$8,000.
• Or if they have not won a race have been placed 2nd or 3rd in a Group or Listed Race.

 

South America

• Horses must have finished 1st, 2nd or 3rd in a Group or Listed race.

 

USA/Canada

• Horses must have won a race of an advertised value of at least US$25,000 or equivalent.

 

U.A.E.

• Horses must have won a flat race.
• And have a minimum International Rating of 80 or higher at the time of import.

 

South Africa

• Horses must have won a flat race.
• And have a minimum International Rating of 80 or higher at the time of import.

 

Other Countries

Domestic Group winners (G1, G2 or G3) may come from the following countries listed in Part II of the International Cataloguing standards. If an applicant is considering obtaining a PP from the following countries listed with an *, please consult the Club first regarding quarantine arrangements.

* India, Japan, * Malaysia, * Singapore

 

Starts Conditions

All qualified PPs are also subject to the starts conditions as shown below: -

Age (at time of arrival)	2-year-olds	3-year-olds		4-year-olds
Maximum No. of Starts	10	As a 2yo 10	As a 3yo 15	As a 3yo 15	As a 4yo 15
Maximum Career Starts	10	17		17

(Note: Horses five (5) or above will not be permitted to be imported into Hong Kong)

 

2. In all cases, National Hunt Flat Races, Selling Races, Claiming Races and Walk Overs are excluded from consideration in terms of certifiable form.

 

3. For horses which have raced in more than one country, their qualification can be achieved by meeting the criteria of any one of the countries in which they have raced.

 

4. "International Rating" referred to herein means a Rating based on the International Classification Committee Rating Scale and agreed by the Head of Handicapping, Race Planning & International Racing of the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

 

5. All applicants who wish to import a PP may consult, before they have made their purchase, the Head of Handicapping, Race Planning & International Racing of The Hong Kong Jockey Club to confirm that the horse they wish to import is qualified to start in the Hong Kong SAR BEFORE. The International Rating applying at the time of import is the qualifying Rating.

 

6. IT IS THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE APPLICANT AND/OR TRAINER THAT THE HORSE THEY WISH TO IMPORT HAS THE QUALIFYING RATING AND/OR MEETS THE ABOVE CRITERIA TO RACE IN THE HONG KONG SAR

1. Purchased or home bred, may be imported from the following countries.

Argentina	Germany	Peru
Australia	India *	Singapore *
Brazil *	Ireland	South Africa *
Canada	Italy	United Kingdom *
Chile *	Japan	United States of America
France	Malaysia *

 

a. If an applicant is considering obtaining a PPG from one of the countries marked (*), please consult the Club first regarding importation procedures, as there are no protocols to permit the direct importation of horses into Hong Kong.

 

b. Please note that there may be restrictions on the importation of horses from certain countries for varying periods due to disease outbreaks and at the time of publication the country marked (#) is subject to such a restriction.

 

c. PPGs from a country not listed in paragraph 10 above may be eligible for importation but prior approval must be obtained from the Club.

 

2. Age Requirements

All PPGs must fulfil the age requirements as shown in the table below at the time of import.

Import period Foaled in	1 July 2005 - 31 July 2005	1 August 2005 - 31 December 2005	1 January 2006 - 30 June 2006
Northern Hemisphere (PPG)	2 yos (foaled in 2003) & 3 yos (foaled in 2002)		3 yos (foaled in 2003)
Southern Hemisphere (PPG)	2 yos (foaled in 2002)	2 yos (foaled in 2003) & 3 yos (foaled in 2002)
South America (PPG)	2 yos (foaled in 2003) & 3 yos (foaled in 2002)

 

Notes:

1. Northern Hemisphere PPGs foaled in 2002 (which will turn 4 years old on 1 January 2006) may not be permitted to be imported into Hong Kong after 31 December 2005.

2. Southern Hemisphere PPGs foaled in 2001 (which will turn 4 years old on 1 August 2005) are NOT permitted to be imported into Hong Kong.

3. Northern Hemisphere PPGs foaled in 2004 may be allowed to be imported after 1 January 2006, subject to stables availability and the individual stable strength limit, on the condition that they are not qualified to be entered to race until they are classified in the Griffin Class in the 2006/2007 season.)