Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho has said he will suspend his horse, named Hong Kong Bet, from running in all races. The move came after the Hong Kong Jockey Club cancelled all races on Wednesday over security concerns, following protest calls against Ho, whose horse was scheduled to run that night.
Ho said in a statement that he was disappointed with the decision to cancel the races and the loss suffered by the horseracing industry and fans.
“After deliberations with two co-owners, for supporting the healthy development of horse racing for public benefit in Hong Kong, for the legal rights of horse racing fans, and for the sake of Hong Kong’s long term stability and calmness, we decided to halt Hong Kong Bet from participating in races until disturbances in Hong Kong have stopped,” he said.
“Hong Kong Bet is innocent, it is not a crime to love my country and love Hong Kong,” he said.
關於香港馬會取消跑馬地2019年9月18日之夜間賽事聲明對昨日馬會停止比賽對香港賽馬事業和廣大馬迷造成的損失，本人深表遺憾。在此，我宣佈，經與兩位合夥人商量，為支持香港公益賽馬事業健康發展，為維護廣大馬迷合法權益，更為香港長期穩定…
Posted by 何君堯 (Junius Ho Kwan Yiu) on Thursday, 19 September 2019
Ho attracted controversy after he shook hands with a group of people allegedly involved in the mob attacks in Yuen Long on July 21. His district offices have attracted different levels of protest over the past two months, including arson and vandalism.
Ho has also called for a city-wide movement this Saturday to “clean up” walls, apparently hinting at removing “Lennon Wall” message boards across the city.
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