[2] The racecourse was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong.

The area was previously swampland, but the only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island.

To make way for the racecourse, the Hong Kong government prohibited rice growing by villages in the surrounding area.

The annual "Derby Day" race was held every February, and a temporary grandstand was built to accommodate the extra spectators.

[2] The nearby Tung Wah Hospital was one of the first to offer assistance and after the fire arranged for labourers to collect the dead.