The battle for the Tony Cruz Award as Hong Kong’s leading homegrown jockey intensified at Happy Valley on Wednesday when Matthew Chadwick’s double pushed him to within two wins of Matthew Poon with only six meetings remaining in the 2024/25 season.
Matthew Chadwick and Another Zonda defy all at Happy Valley (Pic – HKJC)
Chadwick boosted his season’s tally to 34 – compared to Poon’s 36 – with wins on Tony Cruz-trained Superb Capitalist in the Class 3 St George’s Challenge Cup Handicap (1000m) and Me Tsui’s Another Zonda in the Class 3 Renfrew Handicap (1650m).
Winner of the Tony Cruz Award in 2021/22, Chadwick has steadily cut into Poon’s lead with seven wins from the past nine meetings and is poised to continue the challenge ahead of the Season Finale on 16 July.
“We’ll see what happens, we’ll try our best. I’m just trying to pick up better rides. The fields are getting smaller, everyone’s riding well and it’s harder to get rides,” Chadwick said.
“You’ve just got to make them count when they come. Hopefully, I can get some more decent rides.”
Superb Capitalist slotted his fifth victory at Happy Valley and sixth overall before Another Zonda scored his first win at the city circuit after previously triumphing at Sha Tin.
My Day My Way (128lb) broke through in spectacular fashion for Danny Shum and Jerry Chau in the second section of the Class 4 Hereford Handicap (1200m) after Woodfire Champ slotted his second course and distance victory with success in the Class 5 Chester Handicap (1200m) for Michael Chang and Derek Leung.
Seventh of 12 runners at the 150m, My Day My Way charged late to claim New Power (129lb) in the last stride, prevailing by a short head.
“He ran a tremendous race, I knew coming to the outside would be hard but we were very lucky,” Shum said. “The last 20 metres, he was very strong. I think he can win in Class 3 as well. I’ll give him a break now and wait for next season.”
Shum posted a double when Harry Bentley piloted progressive three-year-old Wrote A New Page to his second win in a row with success in the first section of the Class 4 Lancashire Handicap (1650m).
Chang also eventually sealed a brace when Amazing Victory presented James Orman with his ninth win of the season with victory in the third section of the Class 4 Hereford Handicap (1200m).
“When I thought I was going to be here for only six weeks, the goal was to get one winner,” said Orman, who arrived from Queensland, Australia in February. “When I got the extension, I thought I wanted to ride 10 winners – I thought it was a reasonable goal for my first stint and less than half a year.
“I didn’t come here with expectations to be riding winners here every week like at home. I just wanted to get a few winners and hopefully stay.”
David Hayes combined with Lyle Hewitson to land the second section of the Class 4 Lancashire Handicap (1650m) with Amazing Run, who succeeded despite drawing his eighth double-figure barrier from 11 starts this season.
“He’s had a really unlucky year with bad barriers – today included (gate 10), but Hewitson rode a great race and he won like a good horse, so we’re very happy,” Hayes said.
“He had no gear on when he won, then he lost his form and we were trying to make him win playing around with his gear. But we just decided to go back to nothing and the horse really likes it.”
Brenton Avdulla continues his strong form aboard Never Too Soon (Pic – HKJC)
David Hall’s Never Too Soon swept to a three-length triumph in the first section Class 4 Hereford Handicap (1200m) for Brenton Avdulla.
“Never Too Soon is a good old soldier, he’s had a pretty tough season – it’s taken him all this time until he could get his win,” Hall said of the seven-year-old, who won three races in Australia when he raced as Never Never River in 2020-21.
“He’s got down to a rating of 54 and he was always going to be dangerous. He’s a backmarker and in these 1200m races at Happy Valley races, he always needs a bit of luck, he needs a barrier and he needs a bit of speed to help. He got in the right race tonight off that rating and got his run at the right time.”
Dragon Four Seas thundered to victory in the Class 3 Selkirk Handicap (1200m) to give Zac Purton his 123rd win of the season and Manfred Man his 38th of the campaign.
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Saturday.
