Francis Lui has staged a magnificent comeback on the final day of the 2023/24 season to claim the Hong Kong trainers’ championship for the first time, sealing victory with a quartet – and a win in the last race of the season – to deny Pierre Ng by one win in a thrilling battle.
After trailing 67-66 at the start of the day, Lui slipped three wins behind his former assistant with only six races left when Ng slotted an early double with Beauty Waves and First Love.
Facing a mountainous task, Lui combined with Zac Purton to reel off a mid-meeting treble to roar back into contention to draw level and then clinched the title in the 831st and final race of the season, 70 wins to 69.
Locked with Ng on 69 wins and 54 second placings heading into the penultimate race – the Class 3 Sight Winner Handicap (1600m) which was won by Jamie Richards-trained Young Achiever – Lui snatched the lead when Holy Lake finished second, narrowly ahead of The Heir and Ng’s fourth-placed I Can.
Lui and Ng’s rollercoaster title race remained in the balance going into the 11th race on the card when Ng needed either a win for outright success or a second to trump his former mentor and claim the title on third placings.
Ng’s aspirations looked very much alive when Prestige Always charged into contention at the 200m mark but those hopes evaporated when Hugh Bowman drove Lui’s Patch Of Theta to a resounding win in the Class 3 All You Wish Handicap (1400m), giving Lui the championship.
“Finally. Racing is full of excitement,” Lui, 65, said of the championship triumph. “In the middle of the season, everybody would think Pierre – he has won so many races – that he would not be easy to catch.
“Lucky, I had a couple of three-year-olds with good quality who can win a race. It was very hard, whenever I got close with Pierre, he ran again. Like today, I thought I had good chances, but Pierre still won two races.”
Asked how he would celebrate, Lui said: “I can take a sleep first.”
Ng led the standings since 5 November, at one stage holding a 16-win lead before Lui briefly claimed the ascendancy last month. Lui is the first homegrown trainer to secure championship glory since Frankie Lor in 2021/22.
And when he skipped three wins after five races today, held a crucial advantage but Lui’s response was withering, first clawing back a win Steps Ahead success in the Class 4 Big Profit Handicap (1400m), reducing the margin to one win with Chancheng Glory’s triumph in the Class 1 Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy Handicap (1600m) and then squaring the win ledger with Packing Hermod’s victory in the Class 3 Pingwu Spark Handicap (1200m).
Bowman then coolly iced the championship with Hong Kong International Sale graduate Patch Of Theta as Hong Kong racing celebrated one of the most absorbing days in history.
Lui has been part of Hong Kong racing since the early 1970s when he graduated from the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School and rode 36 winners as a jockey. He was licensed to train in 1996/97 and is famed for his training deeds with record-breaking miler Golden Sixty. Lui has now trained 935 winners.
Zac Purton is Hong Kong champion jockey for the seventh time.
Purton was acclaimed as Hong Kong Champion Jockey for the seventh time, matching the feats of Basil Marcus and Gary Moore, after finishing the season with 130 wins and a six-timer at the season finale.
“It’s never easy to win a championship. There are always different obstacles, different challenges but I’ve won it again and that’s all that matters – nice result,” Purton said.
“I’m really happy, it hasn’t been a smooth season. It was really difficult early on with the small fields and wet tracks. I struggled with injuries and the stables I generally rely on weren’t flowing early but once they got momentum and I started to get some treatment, things started to fall into place and it’s been a good back half of the season.”
Purton, 41, previously won the jockeys’ championship in 2013/14, 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Michael Chang-trained Perfect Peach’s success in the Class 5 Miraculous Handicap (1400m) presented Purton with the first of his six victories at the season finale before the Australian combined with Ng and First Love and then Lui’s trio Steps Ahead, Chancheng Glory and Packing Hermod, as well as Young Achiever.
Angus Chung won the Tony Cruz Award.
Angus Chung won the Tony Cruz Award for the best-performed homegrown jockey with 46 wins, edging out four-time winner Vincent Ho (41) wins.
“Tony is my mentor and has given me a lot of support and I’m very grateful to win the Tony Cruz Award in my second season in Hong Kong,” Chung, 27, said. “It’s not easy and I’m very fortunate to have the support not only from Tony but also other trainers such as Pierre Ng.
“I’m very happy to win the Tony Cruz Award.”
Super Elite’s victory under Bowman in the Class 5 Mr Award Handicap (1200m) provided David Hall with his 44th win of the campaign, equalling the Australian’s best seasonal haul in Hong Kong before Ricky Yiu notched his 60th winner of the term when Volcanic Spark landed the Class 4 Solar Hei Hei Handicap (1800m) under Karis Teetan as Ho and Dennis Yip combined with Happy Daily to win the Class 4 Medic Kingdom Handicap (1400m).
Ho won the Most Popular Jockey award, while Romantic Warrior was acclaimed as the Most Popular Horse for the season.
By Leo Schlink
