Andrew Le Jeune's guide to how to bet on Hong Kong racing

There are 88 meetings that make up a season in Hong Kong - from early September to mid July.

They are split relatively evenly between Happy Valley, normally on a Wednesday night and Sha Tin, generally on a Sunday, which plays host to all bar one of the region's Group races. Sha Tin hosts the Champions meeting on Sunday, which is live on Racing UK.

The courses:

Happy Valley, above, is Hong Kong's iconic racetrack in the heart of the city.

It's a tight turning, right-handed circuit of less than a mile with a home straight of around a furlong and a half (310m - 335m), depending on the fixed rail positions.

Races are staged from five furlongs (1000m) up to ten furlongs (2200m).

Position is everything at "The Valley" and a wide draw has been the death knell of many fancied runner, particularly over 1200m - outside gates can be the difference between winning and losing.

If you're good enough though, you can win from anywhere and plenty of closers have success at the City Circuit but proven front runners, with a short home straight, can take some catching.

Sha Tin has a Turf and All-weather surface, which is more similar to an American dirt track than the synthetic surfaces in the UK.

The straight turf course is five furlongs (1000m) and generally favours horses drawn high, with the advantage of the stands side rail but it is certainly not impossible to win from a low gate.

Races from six furlongs to nine furlongs (1200m - 1800m) feature only one right-handed turn with a home straight of around two furlongs (430m) generally giving all runners a chance.

Sha Tin offers runners a level playing field (Racingfotos)

Early speed is key however at both courses (including the dirt track, too) with strong early fractions commonplace.

For precise details of all Hong Kong tracks see the Hong Kong Jockey Club page:

The Betting:

Hong Kong Tote pools are enormous with on average around HK$150million - or £13.5 million - bet on each race!

As a result the markets are generally stable but late betting moves can still see the odds drop by 20% - as indicated by the price turning green on the Tote board or by 50% and the odds turn brown or are "Brown lamped" much to the excitement of local on course crowds!

In terms of placing a bet the choices are quite simple: Win & Place are naturally a very popular, and Tricast (first three home) for exotic players but Quinellas (first two in either order) or Swingers (two in the first three finishing positions) (Quinella place locally) are more popular again with pools often exceeding that of others and offer a safety net if you get run out of first or second place.

The Jockeys:

Champion Jockey Joao Moreira's (pictured above) mounts are often over-bet with dramatic swings in prices from one start to the next with Joao jumping on board - this can create value elsewhere, but both he and Zac Purton do ride the lion's share of the winners.

Last season 39 jockeys rode winners in Hong Kong but Moreira & Purton rode over a third of the available winners between them!

Mauritian Karis Teetan, local rider Derek Leung, South African Chad Schofield, Italian Umberto Rispoli and Irishman Neil Callan make up the United Nations of Jockeys chasing the top two. Nash Rawiller was a player, until his recent 15-month ban.

The Trainers:

Size, second left, is the dominant trainer (Racingfotos)

There are no retained riders at present in Hong Kong but John Size and Joao Moreira team up regularly with great success.

Size is careering toward another Premiership title and not only dominates numerically but appears to have an endless supply of high class inmates with currently approximately £7.5million in prize-money more than his nearest rival.

Frankie Lor, a one-time assistant to Size, is enjoying a record-breaking first season of his own and already has a reputation of improving lower class horses.

Along with Size, Tony Cruz and John Moore often make up the majority of runners in the Group races and Caspar Fownes is known as "The King of The Valley" so is worth watching mid-week, but is enduring a quieter season than normal.

Danny Shum, who is third in the table, will be well known to British punters having saddled Little Bridge to win the King's Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in 2012, ridden by Purton.

The tight handicapping system ensures exciting racing and close finishes with races often changing dramatically within the last furlong.... but we'll save an explanation for that for next time!!