Racehorse owners are demanding a better compensation package from the Macau Jockey Club (MJC) and are calling on the government to mediate their negotiations with the club, which are scheduled before 15 March.
The cash-strapped MJC is due to cease operations on 31 March, having racked up huge debts during its 40-year history
According to local media reports, more than a dozen owners held a press conference over the weekend in order to express their dissatisfaction over the MJC’s compensation plan.
Representative Jason Tam said that the owners were willing to accept the club’s offer of subsidies for the transport of their horses overseas, but pointed out that the cap of HK$200,000 would not be enough to make up for the losses incurred. He said that each racehorse was worth at least HK$1 million.
[See more: Macau Jockey Club ‘refuses to compensate’ owners who want to retire their horses]
Meanwhile, Thomas Lau, another racehorse owner who spoke at the event, expressed his discontent over the omission of Australia and New Zealand from the MJC’s list of destinations eligible for subsidised transport.
“They only mention China, Malaysia and America,” he said. “But these horses, over 90 percent, came from Australia and New Zealand. Why don’t we send them back to their home?”
The government has asked that the 289 horses currently stabled at the MJC be removed from Macao before the end of March 2025.
