‘Lucky’ Luke’s on a Hong Kong roll

Jockey Luke Ferraris kept the South African flag flying proudly in Hong Kong on Sunday with success aboard veteran sprinter Lucky With You in the HK$3.72-million (R8.8-million) TVB Cup Handicap over 1200m at Sha Tin racecourse.

It was the 23-year-old rider’s third feature race victory in 10 days and continued a hot run of form that has seen him climb to fourth place in the hotly contested Hong Kong jockeys’ log.

The former South African champ apprentice’s big-race run has also taken in the $13-million Hong Kong Classic Mile on My Wish at Sha Tin on 31 January and the $3.12-million Tsun Yip Handicap on Mr Ascendency at Happy Valley on 5 February.

South Africa can’t stop making local headlines.

‘Wins’ for Crawford, Hewitson

On Friday, the Hong Kong Jockey Club announced Cape Town’s Brett Crawford as its latest recruit to the city’s trainer ranks. This news followed hot on the heels of South African horse Mid Winter Wind winning in the elite racing enclave – which is already keen to import more thoroughbreds from this part of the world.

Also on Sunday, Ferraris’s countryman and colleague Lyle Hewitson played his part in boosting this country’s racing image as a beacon of horsemanship by landing a quick double in the first two races on the Sha Tin card.

In the marquee event, Ferraris produced a copybook ride on Frankie Lor’s seven-year-old Lucky With You. Sitting fourth on the rails throughout, Ferraris drove the dual Group 1 runner-up between rivals inside the final 100m, before powering clear.

Lor said a drop in class proved key: “Class 1 is different for him because usually he’s in Group 1 or Group 2. He’s seven years old now and it was great to get another win for the owners. Perfect ride by Luke.”

Ferraris was elated: “He is a lovely, game horse. He’s a real soldier. He does have a bit of a short sprint so the way the race panned out was ideal… It worked out and he hit the gap really strongly and powered away to the line… Hopefully we can keep rolling. The support has been fantastic and I’ll be looking to keep that going and, if it does, hopefully I can keep capitalising on the decent rides.”

Leading jockey

Of his double, Hewitson said: “It’s fantastic. It’s just been a slow start this season, but I feel like, over the past two weeks, I’ve been feeling really good in the saddle and I think that is showing – and that’s a positive. On top of that, I’ve been given one or two opportunities each meeting which I’ve been able to convert.”

Hong Kong is notoriously difficult place for jockeys who run into a dry spell, with owners, trainers and punters very susceptible to perceptions of bad luck.

Perennial Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton – who recently surpassed the all-time record number of wins in Hong Kong, posted by South Africa’s now retired Douglas Whyte – is unassailable at the top of the 2024/25 log with 86 victories.

In second is Purton’s Australian compatriot Hugh Bowman on 38 wins, with local rider Vincent Ho in third on 27 and Ferraris in fourth on 26.

Hewitson lies in 12th on 13 wins, while 2022/23 SA champion Keagan de Melo is struggling in 19th out of 24 with just five wins.

Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting was a scene of “carnage” according to the South China Morning Post, with four jockeys taking tumbles and being briefly hospitalised – Ho, Purton, Angus Chung and Keith Yeung.
All four will miss the next Hong Kong meeting at Sha Tin on Wednesday night.