Asian Racing Conference

The 2026 Asian Racing Conference has ended in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The next host for the ARC is New Zealand. Organised by the Asian Racing Federation and hosted by the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, a three-day business programme wrapped up on Thursday. The closing ceremony was a celebration of Saudi Arabia's love of horses with a laser display creating the effect of horses galloping around the delegates at the venue. HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Alfaisal, the chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia, formally opened proceedings on...

The Asian Racing Conference (ARC) will meet in Riyadh from February 9-14 in conjunction with the Saudi Cup meeting. The theme is "Honouring Tradition, Shaping the Future" and consists of a three-day business programme designed to provoke meaningful dialogue, strategic insights and key learnings to address the challenges and opportunities facing the horseracing industry. A gathering of the International Forum for the After Care of Racehorses (IFAR) will take place on Monday, where HRH Prince Bandar bin Khalid Al Faisal, chairman of the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCoSA), will...

The 41st Asian Racing Conference (ARC) will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in February alongside the Saudi Cup meeting. The theme will be "Honouring Tradition - Shaping The Future" and the Jockey Club of Saudi Arabia (JCSA) and the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) will welcome international delegates from February 9-14 at the Crowne Plaza Riyadh RDC Hotel & Convention Centre. Delegates will be able to attend the 2026 G1 Saudi Cup on February 14. The ARC Business Programme will feature a number of plenary sessions designed to address current...

From its launch in 2019, covering the five days of Royal Ascot, the World Pool has grown gradually to 33 race days this year across eight different countries. It is fair to expect to see that expansion continue apace. The international commingling of betting pools was the brainchild of Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which powers World Pool. Twenty-eight jurisdictions can now bet into that pool. "It is our vision to bring the world's finest racing to domestic customers all year round," states the World Pool...

SAPPORO, Japan -- "It's been a hard day's night," sang Masayuki Goto, vice-chairman of the Asian Racing Federation (ARF), as he took to the stage for his keynote speech during the closing exchanges of the 4oth Asian Racing Conference (ARC). And it is plain that Goto, the former president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA), and his fellow ARF committee members are looking forward to the day when their counterparts around the world are singing along in perfect harmony, perhaps to the tune of Here Comes The Sun....

SAPPORO, Japan -- While other racing nations are becoming accustomed to lauding the overseas success of Japanese runners and looking on with awe at the huge financial clout of the country's domestic racing programme, it would be folly to think that Japan's racing scene does not face its own specific issues. Indeed, the host nation for the 40th Asian Racing Conference (ARC) was put under the spotlight in Sapporo on Thursday when leading trainer Yoshito Yahagi and breeder Kenichiro Mishima took to the stage to discuss ways in which Japanese...

SAPPORO, Japan -- 'Be connected, stride together' runs the strapline for the 40th Asian Racing Conference. There are of course representatives from beyond the Asian nations present in Sapporo and it did not take long for the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges to remind some 800 delegates just how out of step is British racing. "Great Britain is probably the most challenged when it comes to industry fragmentation," he said. "For our colleagues in the BHA, I would not call it Mission Impossible but it's close, and even...

The upcoming Asian Racing Conference at Sapporo on Aug. 28-30 will feature Japanese industry members' views on the future of racing in Japan. The business programme will consist of nine sessions, and there will also be three dedicated sharing sessions. Opening speeches will be delivered by Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, ARF chairman and Masayoshi Yoshida, president and CEO of the Japan Racing Association (JRA). Officials from the JRA, National Association of Racing in Japan, Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc., Shadai Farm, Northern Farm, and Big Red Farm, will be sharing their insights during...

Asian Racing Federation (ARF) chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges will give the keynote speech during the opening session of the Asian Racing Conference (ARC) in Sapporo, Japan from Aug. 27-Sept. 1. Also the CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), Engelbrecht-Bresges will speak on key post-pandemic trends in racing and breeding, as well as exploring the most pressing issues facing the racing industry today. There will also be a panel discussion with Engelbrecht-Bresges being joined by Masayuki Goto, ARF vice-chairman and executive advisor to the Japan Racing Association (JRA); Suzanne Eade,...

Asian Racing Federation Chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges was re-elected to another term by the ARF at its Executive Council Meeting in Melbourne on Feb. 14, during the 39th Asian Racing Conference (ARC). Vice-Chairman Masayuki Goto will also serve in the same capacity once again. The pair of appointments will run until the conclusion of the next ARC next year. "I would like to thank the members of the Executive Council who have entrusted me to lead the Federation," said Engelbrecht-Bresges. "With their great support, I look forward to continue working with...

The complete list of speakers for the 39th Asian Racing Conference on Feb. 14-19, was announced by the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) on Tuesday. Themed "Breaking Barriers", the ARC will feature a three-day Business Programme, where the latest trends will be examined, as well as the most pressing issues and brightest opportunities facing the industry today. The full list of speakers can be found here.

The 39th Asian Racing Conference Business Programme was revealed on Friday. Set for Wednesday, Feb. 15, the ARC Business Programme will begin with "The Landscape", a scene-setting session that will explore the changing landscape of sport. ARF Chairman Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, also CEO of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, will share his vision for the future of global racing and the opportunities and the barriers that line that path to that future. Other speakers include Masayuki Goto, Vice-Chairman of ARF and President and CEO of the Japan Racing Association, British Horseracing...