- Source: CNN " data-fave-thumbnails="{"big": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/181221143736-international-jockeys-championship-de-sousa.jpg?q=x_4,y_44,h_1216,w_2162,c_crop/h_540,w_960" }, "small": { "uri": "https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/181221143736-international-jockeys-championship-de-sousa.jpg?q=x_4,y_44,h_1216,w_2162,c_crop/h_540,w_960" } }" data-vr-video="false" data-show-html="" data-byline-html="
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Published 10:31 AM EST, Fri December 21, 2018
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HONG KONG, HONG KONG - DECEMBER 05: Silvestre De Sousa representing Great Britain poses with the trophy after winning championship during the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley Racecourse on December 05, 2018 in Hong Kong. (Photo by Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images)
The Hong Kong Jockey Championships
01:33 - Source: CNN
CNN  — 

Kicking off the Hong Kong International Races week is one of the most intriguing spectacles on the horse racing calendar.

The Longines International Jockeys’ Championship is a fierce competition which pits some of the world’s best jockeys against one another in front of huge audiences.

Held at Hong Kong’s Happy Valley Racecourse, 12 riders earn points by competing in four scintillating races.

Visit CNN/com/sport for more news, features and videos

The Happy Valley Racecourse hosts the The Longines International Jockeys Championship.
The Happy Valley Racecourse hosts the The Longines International Jockeys Championship.
Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

READ: World’s richest horse races – The top six prize pots in racing

The winner of each race gets 12 points, second place earns six points and the third-place jockey gets three points. As well as competing for the prestige, the overall champion walks away with a cool $102,200 for their efforts.

Brazilian Silvestre de Sousa won the 2018 edition with a total of 34 points.

“It was fantastic, I really enjoy it,” he told Winning Post. “You just hope to sit on the right horse because the handicap is so tight.”

Watch the video at the top of the page to see how all the action unfolded this year.