Ho out to stave off rampant Chau but Tony Cruz Award ‘not champion jockey’
While Vincent Ho Chak-yiu is determined to stave off a late charge from apprentice Jerry Chau Chun-lok and maintain his crown as Hong Kong’s leading local rider, it’s being a player in the overall jockeys’ premiership that interests him most.
The Tony Cruz Award winner as Hong Kong’s leading local in the past two seasons, Ho has seen his lead in the race for this year’s gong mowed down by a rampant Chau, who has ridden 14 winners to Ho’s four since the start of June to cut the margin to just two.
Ho has 58 winners to his name to sit equal fourth in the title race but is 94 behind Joao Moreira, who has already secured his fourth premiership.
“Of course [I want to beat Chau], I’ll be trying to ride as many winners as I can in the next couple of meetings,” Ho said.
“But I never really look at [the Tony Cruz Award], it’s not champion jockey so there’s no pressure. I’m still way, way behind that but it’s still been a really good season for me.”
With 56 winners this term, Chau has already amassed 13 more victories in a campaign than any apprentice before him and Ho – winner of five Group Ones in 2020-21 – has been impressed.
