The Lor Of The Land

Hong Kong racing hosts another international all-star cast on Sunday as the equine elite from around the globe gather at Sha Tin to compete for FWD Champions Day glory in three Gr1 contests- the FWD QEII Cup, FWD Champions Mile and Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

One man who doesn’t fear the international onslaught is Frankie Lor who has flourished ever since he was granted a full licence to train in Hong Kong for the 2017/18 racing season. His big-race wins include all three legs of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series and two at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races.

Lor’s impressive career boasts nearly 500 Hong Kong wins and a trainers’ championship crown in 2021/22.

He grew up in Happy Valley as his father was a mafoo, or groom in our terminology, for the renowned Wong Tang Ping, trainer of legendary 1983 Hong Kong Derby winner Co-Tack – twice Hong Kong Horse of the Year (1982/83 & 1983/84) – who won a record 10 consecutive races before Silent Witness leapt that streak in 2004.

Like his father, Lor entered the local system, firstly as a jockey between 1981 and 1995, riding 27 winners, then as an assistant trainer schooled by John Moore and John Size, and now in his own right as one of the city’s most respected conditioners.

“My father was at the stable when Wong Tang Ping had Co-Tack. Dad moved to Sha Tin in around 1977 or 1978 (from Happy Valley). When I moved there, everything was very new and they only had one or two buildings for mafoos,” Lor said.

“I’m 59 now. It’s all good memories for me – my whole working life has been in the Jockey Club. My father, my brother and I have all worked for the Jockey Club. My brother retired, he was at Conghua and worked for me for a few years.”

Lor’s first win as a trainer came with his first runner, Yourthewonforme, in a Class 5 contest at the season opener on 3 September, 2017. He ended that campaign with 65 wins, a new best first-season total which was previously held by John Size (58 wins) in his championship-winning campaign of 2001/02.

Reflecting on previous FWD Champions Day glory, Lor recollects Mr Stunning’s 2020 G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize victory – a contest Lucky With You will attempt to win for the trainer against a towering Ka Ying Rising on Sunday, 27 April at Sha Tin.

One of Hong Kong’s finest sprinters, Mr Stunning’s success five years ago – the horse’s third Group 1 in his final start – capped a sparkling return following injury woes before landing the Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

“When he came to my stable, he always had really good form and he showed me he was a Group 1 horse. It was very good memories for me,” Lor said. “We gave him time off and he came back and eventually won the Chairman’s Sprint Prize. The owner (Maurice Koo) was great – he chose to retire him and let him enjoy his life after that.”

Mr Stunning (2017 & 2018) is one of six horses to win the Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) twice after Falvelon (2000 & 2001), Silent Witness (2003 & 2004), Sacred Kingdom (2007 & 2009), Lord Kanaloa (2012 & 2013) and Aerovelocity (2014 & 2016).

Unlike Mr Stunning, Lucky With You is yet to scale horse racing’s Group 1 pinnacle, although he was second in both the 2023 HK$26 million Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint and 2024 HK$13 million Gr1 Centenary Sprint Cup.

Lucky With You – a seven-year-old son of Artie Schiller – is an eight-time winner, who sits on a career-high rating of 116 locally with earnings of HK$24,13 million.

“He’s still keeping really good form. Usually, Gr1 races might be a bit strong, but anyway, we’ll try to get the prize money for the owner,” Lor said. “He’s won twice in Class 1 this season and he’s still holding good form. Luke Ferraris rides him.”

Fourth in the 2024 HK$28 million Gr1 FWD QEII Cup behind Romantic Warrior, Happy Together instead contests the HK$24 million Gr1 FWD Champions Mile on Sunday against Gr1 winners Voyage Bubble and Mr Brightside.

“You can see he’s always close. Also, we’ll see if he can get prize money. It’s another very strong field. The 1600 and 1800 m might be better distances. 2000 m might be a little bit long for him, anyway, we’ve picked the mile– Alexis Badel is on,” Lor said.

Happy Together rates 110 locally and is a six-time winner in Hong Kong with HK$20,51 million in earnings. His biggest win to date came in the 2024 HK$4,2 million Gr3 January Cup Handicap. He was fourth behind Straight Arron in the HK$5,35 million Gr2 Chairman’s Trophy on 30 March at Sha Tin.

A reminder that the Hollywoodbets Punters’ Challenge is available on all Hong Kong fixtures. The competition closes five minutes before the carded off-time of the first race.