When world riding star Frankie Dettori arrives in the territory at the beginning of December for a fortnight's riding stint none other than Tony Cruz will be the first trainer offering him rides. Cruz, who has made a tremendous start to his career as a trainer with Lord Ron being his fourth winner from just 32 runners last weekend, declared yesterday: 'Frankie won't have to come looking for me, I will be looking for him.' Cruz then went on: 'Frankie and I go back a long way, not to just when I was riding in England but to before that when I was in France. 'We used to sit and chat for long periods and he would tell me what he hoped to do with his riding career and how he would love to ride in Hong Kong.
'I tell you this, he can be my stable jockey anytime he likes. He is the one jockey I would love to get - if I could. 'But you know what it is like with him. He can go anywhere he likes to ride and at anytime. He's the best.' As for other jockeys in the territory, Cruz believes there is generally a heap of world-class riders to choose from. He added: 'Of course there is Basil [Marcus]. I think he'll be the champion yet again. Douglas Whyte looks a top rider, too, and guys like Eric Legrix and Eric Saint-Martin are the tops.
'Paul Eddery can ride also. He may not look so stylish as some of the others, but he can ride. He just hasn't been on very good horses so far. 'And hey, the other good thing about Paul is that his horses start at good prices.' Spoken like a true trainer yet it was only nine months ago that Cruz stopped riding himself.
