Chan continues revival under Fownes: ‘he had become a very dejected young lad’
Alfred Chan Ka-hei continued his late-season resurgence with victory aboard the Caspar Fownes-trained Joy Master at Sha Tin on Thursday, with the 27-year-old thanking his boss for rebuilding his confidence in the saddle.
Chan, who could only manage one winner across the first six and a half months of the season, was transferred from Frankie Lor Fu-chuen to Fownes in January and now has six winners since mid-March.
“It was a hard time earlier this season but since I moved to Caspar he’s given me a lot of confidence and he’s helped me a lot,” said Chan, who was left questioning whether he had what it took to be a jockey earlier this season.
“The biggest thing is the confidence – my boss keeps telling me that it doesn’t matter if you’re riding a good horse or a bad horse or whether it can win, just ride your own race and just be confident. He’s supporting me a lot and I’m riding with more confidence now.”
Chan’s new-found conviction was on full display aboard Joy Master, with the jockey snagging the galloper back to the rear of the field from gate 14 before patiently weaving a path in the home straight.
It was Chan’s second win aboard the six-year-old in the space of 12 days and Fownes was full of credit for his charge.
