Clement extremely confident Santos will bring early presents

Anyone peering through a gaggle of photographers on the infield at Sha Tin this week could be almost guaranteed to spot a legend of the saddle, ranging from past master Lester Piggott to current star Frankie Dettori.

One figure who has been no less successful, but has gone relatively unnoticed amongst the throng at work mornings, is the New York-based Chilean Jose Santos. But the quietly spoken 39-year-old, who tomorrow rides the Christophe Clement-trained pair Charge d'Affaires in the Mile and Forbidden Apple in the Cup, has a roll of honour to match any of his rival jockeys. He was champion jockey in the US for four successive seasons in the late 1980s, winning the Eclipse Award in 1988, and his big-race wins include six victories at the Breeders' Cup.

Santos is hoping for better luck than on his previous visit to the International meeting six years ago. On that occasion, he was narrowly beaten on the Clement-trained River Majesty, who finished second to State Taj in the Cup, and he also had to settle for the runner-up spot on Nijinsky's Gold behind Soviet Line in the Bowl.

Unlike some of the other American challengers, both Charge d'Affaires and Forbidden Apple are turf specialists, and Santos is confident of a good showing tomorrow. 'I really like the track here and I think I have two good chances, particularly on Charge d'Affaires,' he said.

Charge d'Affaires has won his last two starts and Santos reported that he was pleased with the five-year-old's latest victory, in the Group Two Citation Handicap at Hollywood Park three weeks ago, when he had fellow Mile challenger Native Desert half a length behind in third place.

'He's dropping back a little to a mile, but I'm not worried about that,' he said. 'He's got a lot of speed, and he's never been as good as he is right now.'