Hong Kong’s local elections will be a one-horse race

News Snapshot:

We were between races and thousands of racegoers were crowding around stalls selling beer and snacks, listening to live bands or watching a spectacular fireworks display. It was Wednesday, race night at Happy Valley racecourse in Hong Kong’s city centre, where admission was free and the seven-storey stands were packed. Deng Xiaoping promised in 1982 that when Britain returned Hong Kong to China 15 years later “horses will still run, stocks will still sizzle, dancers will still dance”. Gambling is illegal in mainland China and the survival of racing in Hong Kong is – along with its own currency, the...