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The Longines Masters international showjumping series returns to Hong Kong this month with an exciting three-day lineup of sporting and cultural highlights

The Longines Masters international showjumping series returns to Hong Kong with an exciting three-day lineup of sporting and cultural highlights

All the excitement and glamour of the grand slam of showjumping returns to Hong Kong this month at the Longines Masters, where Asian riders will be vying for a rich new purse. The action-packed three days of competition at Asiaworld-expo will include the inaugural Hong Kong Jockey Club Asian Challenge, with the riders vying for a prize of HK$250,000.

The Asian showjumpers competing this year, the seventh edition of the event, include Hong Kong riders Jacqueline Lai and Raena Leung. Another Hongkonger, Asian Games equestrian gold medallist Jacqueline Siu, will also be entertaining the spectators with the beautiful precision of a dressage performance.

Competition kicks off on February 15 with the Asiaworld-expo Trophy, where horses and riders vie for honours over a course of 1.45-metre fences. The day continues with the adrenaline-pumping Hong Kong Jockey Club Race of the Riders, which pairs star jockeys and showjumpers to test their skills, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy, a tworound competition with fences set at 1.5 metres and a prize of US$84,000.

The next day, the Masters Power Maserati Trophy requires strength and agility in a gravity-defying event where horses must jump six fences just two strides apart with each obstacle higher than the previous one. Those who jump higher than 2 metres will receive a bonus prize. The second day also sees another audience favourite, the Longines Speed Challenge, an exciting spectacle of speed, agility and technique.

On the final day the best riders will face off, first in the DBS Trophy, a speed challenge, and then the Longines Grand Prix of Hong Kong, the ultimate test of technicality, sporting performance, agility and bravery. The Grand Prix requires perfect harmony between the rider and mount and rewards the winner with US$400,000. A rider who triumphs at the Grand Prix in all three legs of the Longines Masters series (Paris, Hong Kong and New York) earns a Super Grand Slam Bonus of ¤2.25 million.

Taking place alongside the competition will be the second edition of Asia Horse Week, with a series of conferences, networking workshops and pop-up equestrian boutiques to exchange knowledge and expertise. This year, discussions will focus on equine welfare, with the renowned scientist Cesare Galli and World Horse Welfare executive director Roly Owers sharing their wisdom.

The Longines Masters of Hong Kong is as much a social and cultural calendar highlight as an equestrian spectacle, with its Prestige Village featuring a wide array of luxury shopping, live entertainment, gastronomy, fashion and contemporary art alongside the heartstopping showjumping.

The Masters Club provides VIPS with exclusive access to gourmet dining, wine tastings and the best view of the competition. And after-parties keep the fun going well after the horses have been blanketed for the night.

Organiser EEM has partnered with Save the Children Hong Kong, and part of proceeds from a special charity lunch on the Saturday will go to relief programmes for marginalised children, especially in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

The Longines Masters of Hong Kong runs from February 15 to 17 at Asiaworldexpo. For more information, visit longinesmasters.com