Yes, the Longines Hong Kong International Series that’s the World Turf Championship, and already its Vincent Ho who is the Longines International Jockey’s Champion.
In making it a 4:1-0-2 for a total of 20 points and collecting the HK$600,000 first prize the local-boy Vincent Ho had to wait until the fourth Championship event to score on Tomodachi Kokoroe.
“I was not aware and I didn’t even know about the points, I just kept riding every race to have a winning chance,” Vincent said “and I felt the track today favoured the front-runners a little bit.”
A four-time winner of the prestigious Tony Cruz Award, and being Champion Apprentice in 2010-11 Vincent on Sunday heads for this third consecutive victory on Golden Sixty in the Hong Kong Mile.
In savouring victory, Vincent followed “Christophe Soumelion, Frankie and Ryan were always my idols, right up until today, and I keep learning from those good jockeys, those good horsemen.”
“Especially after a tough injury, coming back to win this, I’m really grateful for and hopefully this will inspire more kids and generations to come and the Hong Kong people especially.”
Rachel King, Ryan Moore and Zac Purton had each claimed a maximum 12 points with wins in the first three races, with Zac Purton finishing second on 18 and Rachael King third on 16.
In being a close third Rachael King could not have been happier as “I think it was a good first effort with the atmosphere at Happy Valley being unbelievable and I really did enjoy it.”
And scoring on her first ride in Hong Kong on the David Hall trained Oversubscribed “it’s probably the perfect start to riding here at Happy Valley, and he looked after me, doing everything.”
In drawing Gate 3 of the 11 runners in the HK$34m Longines Hong Kong Cup of 20000m on Sunday, Vincent HO again rides the $26 Ladbrokes pick Straight Arron for trainer Caspar Flowers.
Now looking for Group 1 glory, Straight Arrow is a last start winner of the Jockey Club Cup 2000m, and being sired by Fastnet Rock was a $270,000 buy at the 2020 Inglis Easter Yearling Sale.
However, it’s that man ‘J Mac,’ James McDonald who didn’t score a point in the Longines Jockey’s Challenge when riding for New Zealand, is looking for Hong Kong Cup’s on Romantic Warrior.
In being crowned the World’s Best Jockey in 2021 James Mc Donald returns to Sha Tin in celebration of Romantic Warrior as “he’s got everything a good horse needs and he has it in spades.”
Priced as $2.70 fav. and from Gate 7, James again races in the turquois and white silks of owner Peter Lau Pak Fai, having said on winning las year “I promise you that was really good as it looks.”
In scoring by a record 4½ lengths in a slick 1:59.70s “he was perfect from the start to the finish today and he’s right up there with any of the other good ones I’ve ridden, don’t worry about that.”
However, its Ireland’s 13-times Champion Jockey Michael Kinane who said of James McDonald’s victory on Romantic Warrior in the WS Cox Plate at Moonee Valley ‘as he knew what he had to do.’
James ‘delt his aces late’ on the race favourite to defeat Mr Brightside by a half-head on the post, ‘as it was a fantastic result for Hong Kong racing on the international stage, and it has paid off.’
In riding Vintage Crop to victory in the 1993 Melbourne Cup, Michael Kinane went onto state ‘it was courageous decision for trainer Danny Shum to travel, as there was so much in Hong Kong.’
Today Michael Kinane sources for the Hong Kong Jockey Club and bought Romantic Warrior as the Acclamation yearling for 300,000Gns at the 2019 Tattersalls October Sale, before making HK$4.8m at the Hong Kong International Sale in 2021 and going into training with Danny Shum.
