Top local trainer Wong Tang-ping wants to retain star English jockey Darryll Holland for next season as the Royal Hong Kong Jockey Club's licensing committee yesterday announced the nine trainers who can have a stable rider next term.
There are no stable jockeys for Geoff Lane, champion trainer John Moore or David Hill. But four local handlers can have jockeys. Besides Wong they are Brian Kan Ping-chee, Alex Wong Siu-tan and Tony P. H. Chan.
The other trainers are Ivan Allan, Patrick Biancone, Lawrie Fownes, David Hayes and David Oughton.
Wong said during racing last night: 'I will try to retain Darryll (Holland). I will speak to all my owners and then see if he is acceptable to the Jockey Club and I very much hope he is. I think he has become a very talented rider indeed and would like him as my stable jockey.' Wong, 59, went on to emphatically deny suggestions that next season would be his final campaign as a Hong Kong-based trainer. He added: 'That is absolute rubbish. I don't know where this rumour has been coming from and it really annoys me.
'I will be continuing here until I have to retire when I'm 65.' Holland, currently retained by Lane, was delighted by the prospect of joining Wong. 'I'm very excited and this is great news,' he said. 'But I must point out first of all that I've had a great season with Geoff. I've learned a tremendous amount from him and would like to ride him a hatful of winners before the end of season.' Fownes is to apply for his former stable jockey and nephew Wendyll Woods who rode for him for five years before returning to England four seasons ago. 'Wendyll has done tremendously well in England where he has the confidence of some of the bigger trainers,' Fownes said.
Wong Siu-tan will apply for English Derby-winning jockey Alan Munro and said: 'With me as the trainer, Alan as the jockey and with the new stock I've been buying I have never been so excited by the prospects for my stable - not just next season but the season after.' Hayes named Damien Oliver as favourite to become his stable jockey next season after Oliver had scored on his rapidly improving Blazing Ballad at last night's Happy Valley meeting. 'Behind him there is a South African and an American, but Damien is the favourite for the position,' revealed Hayes. There will be no change for Allan, Biancone, Kan and Oughton who will stick with their highly successful arrangements with Basil Marcus, Eric Legrix, Felix Coetzee and Mick Kinane.