Hong Kong club might be local boon

The Las Vegas Dissemination Company hopes to break new ground this fall after finalizing a deal to import horse racing from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

The two HKJC tracks -- Happy Valley and Sha Tin -- offer some of the world's best horse racing.

The HKJC and LVDC will appear before the Nevada Gaming Control Board in a public hearing Wednesday in Reno. Final approval could come two weeks later from the Nevada Gaming Commission.

The HKJC season begins in early September. It remains to be seen if all operational issues can be satisfied by then. The local first post for the HKJC cards would be at 10 p.m. Friday and 4 a.m. Wednesday.

HKJC racing would be offered in those casino racebooks that sign up to participate. However, for the new venture to flourish, various betting platforms, plus the addition of racetracks and OTBs coast to coast, will need to be enlisted.

In Las Vegas, LVDC will market to Asian tourists and residents, which includes more than 70,000 Chinese people. To interest regular horseplayers, I think the betting information, such as past performances on the horses, must have the top-notch quality of the Daily Racing Form.

A big draw for bettors will be that U.S. wagers will be commingled into enormous HKJC betting pools. You'll bet into and receive track odds and prices. U.S. horseplayers will think each race is the Kentucky Derby with giant pools and fields of 14 horses or more.

Bettors will have the opportunity to make a score on nearly every race.

• PLANET HOLLYWOOD -- The new Planet Hollywood race and sports book is open. It has seating for 150, an 18-seat VIP area for qualified players and 34 giant plasma screens.

The book has easy walk-in access off Las Vegas Boulevard from the South Mall entrance.

• TOURNAMENTS -- Two big-money handicapping tournaments are coming up in Las Vegas. The $100,000 guaranteed Wynn Las Vegas Handicapping Challenge is Aug. 10-11, and Pick the Ponies XXXI is Aug. 16-18 at the Las Vegas Hilton.

Richard Eng's horse racing column is published Friday. He can be reached at rich_eng@hotmail.com.