�� Racehorses from Beijing and Guangzhou each won two out of the five finals races at China's inaugural national flat racing championship which closed in Beijing on October 23.

�� The victories will be a big boost for the city of Guangzhou, which will host China's Ninth National Games in 2001. Flat horse racing has been listed as a medal sport for the Guangzhou Games.

�� "Guangzhou Spirit", a three-year-old grey colt from the Guangzhou Jockey Club, won the top honor of the 1,400 meters race for thoroughbreds in one minute 31.87 seconds.

�� Another horse from the club, four-year-old colt "Military Victory", took the 2,000 meters race for non-thoroughbreds in two minutes 38.30 seconds.

�� Horses from Beijing won the 900 meters and 5,000 meters non- thoroughbred races.

�� And the glory of the 3,200 meters race for non-thoroughbreds, the only other finals race of the five-day event, went to a racehorse from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

�� The national championship organized by the Chinese Equestrian Association (CEA) attracted a field of 90 racehorses and 60 riders from 14 Chinese provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.

�� The Hong Kong Jockey Club is the title sponsor of the championship held at the Shunyi County Horse Racing Course in northeastern Beijing suburbs.

�� The finals races on Saturday were broadcast live nationwide for the first time by China's largest television network Central Television,

�� Doping tests were carried out during the championship, according to the organizers.

�� Certificates were present to CEA at a ceremony during the intervals of the finals on Saturday, for Hong Kong Jockey club's donation of 50 retired racehorses.

�� The horses will go to a Beijing-based military sports unit of the People's Liberation Army later this month.

�� Sports teams from the unit won two gold medals in military pentathlon at the World Military Games in Zagreb, Croatia in August.

�� The Hong Kong Jockey club has ever since 1986 assisted the CEA in the promotion of the sport in China, by donating 260 retired racehorse up to now and providing technical assistance to CEA on training jockeys and apprentices.