HO, HO, HO – CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY FOR VINCENT HO

By Darren Winningham | Monday, December 11, 2023

What a week at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) for local jockey Vincent Ho.

Ho had to overcome some adversity early in the season after a race fall in Japan in July where he suffered a fractured T5 thoracic vertebrae and a pneumothorax on his lung. To assist in his own rehabilitation that included hyperbaric sessions he went to Switzerland for a specialised recovery program.

He returned to Hong Kong and commenced riding early September missing the first two race meetings of the new season. After only a short period in the saddle and just as he was creating some momentum, he was smacked with a 10-meeting suspension by the Hong Kong stewards for failing to ride out a mount at Happy Valley in early October.

The season has been unorthodox for one of Hong Kong’s leading jockeys who rode 96 winners last season finishing second to Zac Purton and winning races with accumulated stakes of HK$160 million.

The first meeting for the international races week always commences at Happy Valley with the LONGINES International Jockeys Championship (IJC). Going into this year’s edition, no local Hong Kong jockey has ever won the event.

Ho had drawn nice barriers on all his four rides in the IJC and when he came into the last leg needing to ride a winner to claim the 2023 LONGINES IJC title he drove the David Hayes trained Tomodachi Kokoroe to the lead and was able to hold off the opposition.

Vincent Ho thus became the first homegrown jockey from Hong Kong to win the prestigious LONGINES International Jockeys Championship (IJC). He claimed the HK$600,000 prizemoney and was presented with a limited edition LONGINES watch as a memento of his memorable victory.

Come Sunday the LONGINES HKIR is the culmination of an incredible two days of international racing in Hong Kong.

Vincent Ho had a standout ride in the LONGINES Hong Kong Mile – well stand out is probably the wrong words – probably his partner, his best mate – Golden Sixty with whom Ho who has a unique association.

The horse, the trainer Franis Lui and the jockey Vincent Ho had so much pressure on them. The Hong Kong champion is now and eight-year-old – resuming after 244 days since last racing, drawn barrier 14, and taking on what is the best international field that had been assembled in many years - but, the rest is history – with Golden Sixty’s brilliant win etched in the Hong Kong racing archives.

For mine the most memorable and emotional win, not to mention the incredible level of noise created from the crowd when Golden Sixty saluted in what was one of the most dominate performances witnessed on a racetrack at this level.

There were plenty of comments about the performance.

Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges said, “I’m not saying the performance of Golden Sixty is the same as Equinox, but in the Mile I have very seldom seen the performance of a horse, an eight-year-old, first time up, drawn gate 14, and it was an absolutely brilliant ride by Vincent (Ho). There was a lot of doubt how it would play out and it was a tactical masterpiece how the horse was positioned. When the horse accelerated, when you could hear the crowd cheering for the local champion, this was something which, in my view, was unforgettable.”

Hong Kong Jockey Club Executive Director, Racing Andrew Harding described Sunday’s race meeting as “truly remarkable” with Ho’s LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship as one of several highlights of the week. The week indeed has had so many remarkable threads. I take Vincent’s victory on Wednesday night (6 December) in a field of literally superstars and it speaks to the depth of the Club’s commitment to developing local talent,” he said.

What an early Christmas present for Vincent Ho.

A humble, reserved man who goes about his craft without much emotion. A small fist pump after the post was all that we had seen on the victory on the track. Returning to scale he pointed to the horse and acknowledged it was the horse that is the true champion. Returning to scale some small waves acknowledged the crowd were enough for the crowd to yell and scream “Golden Sixty” as one.

I suppose the final word must go to Hong Kong Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges who was very direct with his comments after the last race saying, “In my humble opinion, I’ve been here now for 25 years, and this was one of the best - if not the best - days of racing we have had in Hong Kong.”

Merry Christmas, HO, HO. HO Vincent!

Santa has already given you some amazing gifts and memories that should be cherished forever.

More articles