Saddling up in pursuit of excellence

Hong Kong's successful co-hosting of the equestrian events in the Beijing 2008 Olympics and Paralympics has sparked public interest in horse riding and equestrian pursuits - a trend that was further strengthened with the inaugural Hong Kong Masters international show jumping event in 2013.

Since then, further new ground has been broken each year, and this year's 7th Longines Hong Kong Masters proved to be no exception. The Hong Kong Jockey Club, a founding partner of the Masters, sponsored three new events specifically for the most promising senior and junior riders across the region - the HKJC Asian Challenge, the HKJC Asian Junior Challenge and the HKJC Asian Junior Grand Prix.

The three new contests attracted visiting riders from Guangdong province, Chinese Taipei, and countries including Japan, South Korea and Indonesia, proving hugely popular and giving Hong Kong riders a chance to showcase their progress. The results showed they're making very good progress, with Hong Kong's Raena Leung and Jacqueline Lai finishing second and third, respectively, in the HKJC Asian Challenge, while up-and-coming local rider Vincent Capol claimed a superb victory in the HKJC Asian Junior Grand Prix, and Edgar Fung came third. Capol also came third in the HKJC Asian Junior Challenge.