Fit-again Ho boots home first winner for three months
At second meeting back from injury, star rider tastes success with Baby Crystal and Holy Lake
Vincent Ho Chak-yiu tasted success for the first time since enduring a lengthy stint on the sidelines before sealing a double thanks to the victories of Baby Crystal and Holy Lake at Sha Tin yesterday.
Winless from two midweek rides on his return from injuries suffered in a nasty fall in January, the 33-year-old hit the board by booting home the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Baby Crystal in the Class Three Dongsinan Handicap (1,000m).
“It’s great to be back,” Ho said. “It’s been three months since my last win and I’ve slowly been building my confidence back up.”
Jumping from barrier 10, Baby Crystal tracked the fast early pace set by Cheval Valiant before hitting the front 100m out and keeping on well to fend off the fast-finishing Stellar Express.
The son of Per Incanto finished a neck ahead of the John Size-trained runner-up and stopped the clock in 55.53 seconds – about four lengths faster than standard time.
“A 1,000m race is fast enough and it’s good that one horse led in front of me and brought me into the race,” Ho said. “Everything went ideal, it was great.”
Ho secured his brace aboard the Lui-trained Holy Lake in the finale, the Class Three Dongcheng District Handicap (1,600m). After settling midfield, Ho urged Holy Lake forward around the home turn and delivered his mount to pinpoint perfection to prevail by three-quarters of a length.
Ho’s latest stint on the sidelines abruptly halted his run of good form at the turn of the year and signalled the next chapter in a roller-coaster campaign for the four-time Tony Cruz Award winner.
After missing the first two meetings of the 2023-24 campaign during his recovery from a scary off-season fall in Japan that left him with a fractured vertebra, Ho was then hit with a 10-meeting suspension – reduced to eight and a
HK$120,000 fine – for failing to ride Capital Delight all the way to the line in early October.
Returning in time to triumph in the International Jockeys’ Championship and steer Golden Sixty to an emphatic Group One Hong Kong Mile romp in December, Ho then began to fire in the winners at the start of 2024 before hitting the Sha Tin dirt on January 17. While he required surgery on the middle finger of his left hand and a period of rehabilitation in Switzerland, Ho is now turning his sights to Golden Sixty’s potential swansong on April 28.
“Thanks to Mr Lui and Caspar Fownes for keep putting me on horses with good chances,” Ho said.
Champions Day. That is the big day. Hopefully everything goes well up to then
JOCKEY VINCENT HO
“I’ll keep building up for Champions Day. That is the big day. Hopefully everything goes well up to then and I’m just excited to be back.
“There’s a few good horses from Hong Kong and Japan [in the Group One FWD Champions Mile] so it will be exciting. We’ll definitely be ready by then.”
Also yesterday, Ho was called on to take the reins aboard the Fownes-trained Deep Pursuit in the Class Four Hong Kong Lions Cup (1,200m) after Alfred Chan Ka-hei fell from his mount Lucky Quality earlier on the card.
Lucky Quality knuckled as the gates flew open for the Class Four Beijing Clubhouse Anniversary Cup (1,200), resulting in Chan being hurled over the top of his mount.
Stood down after fracturing a rib, the 29-year-old will not be fit to ride at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.