Tony Cruz became only the fourth trainer in Hong Kong racing history to saddle 500 winners at Happy Valley when the legendary horseman slotted a double with Californiatotality and Kingly Demeanor at the city circuit on Wednesday.
Tony Cruz celebrates a double and his 500th win at Happy Valley (Pic – HKJC)
Cruz reached the landmark with Hong Kong International Sale graduate Kingly Demeanor’s (132lb) all-the-way success in the Class 5 Yue Wan Handicap for Keith Yeung, joining Caspar Fownes (620 Happy Valley wins), John Moore (530) and George Moore (530) in one of Hong Kong racing’s most exclusive clubs.
With an unmatched 2,502 Hong Kong wins as a jockey (946) and trainer (1,556), Cruz was elated to slot his 500th triumph as a trainer at Happy Valley, where he started his riding career as an apprentice jockey in 1973/74.
“It’s great to get to 500,” Cruz said. “This is where I started my career and I’ve had a lot winners here, as a jockey and trainer, so it’s great. I had no idea I was close to 500 wins, so thank you for keeping count.”
Cruz subsequently struck with Californiatotality (122lb) in the Class 2 Choi Hung Handicap for Alexis Badel.
Kingly Demeanor delivers Tony Cruz’s 500th win as a trainer at Happy Valley (Pic – HKJC)
Posting his fifth win for the season, the four-year-old has won twice since finishing 11th in the HK$26 million BMW Hong Kong Derby behind Cap Ferrat in March and impressed Badel after surging past Soleil Fighter.
“He’s lovely. He actually surprised me. I didn’t have such expectation and he did very well. He had a good draw (2), so I had cover and he travelled lovely and waited for a signal and he quickened when I needed him to do it. It was a promising win,” Badel said.
Cruz said: “He’s a versatile horse – this distance was a bit short but he had a good gate and had every chance to win. His next run will be in the Group 3 Premier Plate, on 22 June at Sha Tin – 1800m is the perfect distance for him.”
Seasons Wit (124lb) returned to the winners’ list under Lyle Hewitson to land the Class 3 Choi Wan Handicap for Jamie Richards. The winner of four races at Happy Valley in 2023, Seasons Wit reached a career-high rating of 99, but had not won in 21 ensuing starts until Wednesday.
The Capitalist gelding was given a superb ride by Hewitson, who allowed the five-year-old to settle on the fence midfield before angling into the clear and accelerating sharply. Hewitson completed a brace aboard Mark Newnham-trained King Lotus (127lb) in the first section of the Class 4 Tin Sau Handicap.
“Fortunately, I’ve stuck with him from day one – he’s always given me a nice feel,” Hewitson said. “We thought he would need 1400m, at least, before he wins and we thought he would be a nice miler.
“On debut, he ran a nice race. He got held up over the last few strides, he could have run fourth, and with natural improvement, he showed a bit more today. He’s an uncomplicated horse who’s getting better so the fact he got it right is pretty impressive.”
Lyle Hewitson coaxes Seasons Wit to victory (Pic – HKJC)
Newnham was also to the fore in the Class 3 Hoi Lai Handicap with Crimson Flash (130lb), who was too strong with Andrea Atzeni.
Matthew Poon continued to bear down on a season-high haul with a double in tandem with Ricky Yiu. Poon struck first on Sure Joyful in the Class 4 Wu King Handicap before piloting Hayday to victory in the second section of the Class 4 Tin Sau Handicap. Poon posted 37 wins in 2020/21 and tonight’s brace took his 2024/25 tally to 34.
Zac Purton extended his lead at the top of the jockeys’ championship with victory on David Hayes-trained Bievenue in the Class 4 Tin Sau Handicap. With 108 victories, Purton holds a 48-win margin over Hugh Bowman (60) with 17 meetings left in the season.
Cambridge struck form in style with victory in the Class 3 Nam Shan Handicap for Pierre Ng, collecting a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million. Ridden patiently by Jerry Chau, the Dubawi gelding got clear late to post his first win in Hong Kong. Formerly trained by Aidan O’Brien, the four-year-old was Group 3-placed at Leopardstown in Ireland in 2023.
Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday.
