Apprentice Britney Wong celebrated her first Hong Kong win on the Douglas Whyte trained Cheval Valiant (NZ) (Charm Spirit) in the Class 4 Golden Sixty Handicap at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Wong, 25, is the first Hong Kong-born female jockey to ride a winner in the city since Kei Chiong in July, 2017, and is apprenticed to David Hall after spending two years in Australia where she rode 50 winners.
“It panned out perfect for me, actually. To be fair, this horse has natural gate speed and he loves to lead and be left alone. Definitely, the 10-pound (allowance) helped a lot today and also the rain. Mr Whyte gave me very clear instructions before the race – just make sure he jumped clean and if he can get into his own rhythm, he will be happy,” Wong said. “We did everything right and the result came right.
“It means a lot to me and, at the same time, it’s a bit unreal because I’ve only ridden two years in Australia and a little bit of time in New Zealand and it’s such a big step up for me to ride in Hong Kong and also getting my first (Hong Kong) winner in just my third meeting here is really unreal.”
Whyte said Wong’s tactical awareness on Cheval Valiant was a key factor.
“He’s a good beginner, but he can go too hard sometimes and then he’s vulnerable at the end. Britney did a very good job allowing him not to run away too early. She held him back and from the 600m she started to let him go, which I asked her to do, and she put a gap on them. I think that was the winning move – they had to then chase her as opposed to her being run down,” Whyte said.
“All in all, she held herself together very well under pressure, riding a favourite, beginning as best as she could and riding a very heady race. She was composed and she did a good job.
“I’ve been impressed with that so it was just a matter of time for her to find the right opportunity and ride with confidence, which she did, and she deserved that.”
Manfred Man’s progressive three-year-old Patch Of Cosmo (NZ) (Super Seth) extended Luke Ferraris’ fine start to the season with victory in the Class 4 Shrike Handicap (1200m).
Matthew Poon continued a brilliant start to the season, notching his fifth win of the campaign, when Floof (NZ) (Tavistock) broke through at his seventh Hong Kong start for Ricky Yiu, landing the Class 4 Hwamei Handicap (1650, dirt).
Hong Kong International Sale graduate Reliable Profit (NZ) (Reliable Man) scored his first win at his 14th start for Danny Shum, landing the Class 5 Magpie Handicap (1650m, dirt) under Hugh Bowman.
Meanwhile the Hong Kong Jockey Club hosted a farewell ceremony for champion galloper Golden Sixty. The three-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year recently retired from racing, and made his final public appearance in Hong Kong on Sunday.
An unmatched 26-time winner in Hong Kong, Golden Sixty’s accolades include: Horse of the Year (2020/21, 2021/22 & 2022/23), Most Popular Horse of the Year (2019/20, 2020/21, 2021/22 & 2022/23), Champion Miler (2020/21, 2021/22 & 2022/23), Champion Four-Year-Old (2019/20) and Champion Middle-Distance Horse (2020/21).
Golden Sixty was sold by Riversley Park at the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale for NZ$300,000 to trainer Francis Lui. He then went under the early care of Matamata trainer Graham Richardson where he had three educational trials, winning the last of those at Te Teko in August 2018, before being sent up to Hong Kong.
He will head to Australia initially before retiring permanently at Northern Farm in Hokkaido, Japan.
