Ricky Yiu Poon-fai could legitimately claim the title "king of the kids", with both horses and jockeys, after notching his third double of the season yesterday.
Yiu won the first griffin race of the season with Australian-bred two-year-old Happy Chappy, giving Damian Lane his first Hong Kong victory, before completing a double with outsider Outlawed, also helping 10-pound apprentice Jack Wong Ho-nam to his first brace.
The trainer had the odds-on favourite in the first griffin race of the season with Irish-bred three-year-old General Of Patch sent out at $16, but it was the unfancied stablemate Happy Chappy - sent out at almost 20-1 - who proved too strong under a masterful Lane ride.
The son of Sebring was Yiu's first two-year-old winner in three years. The last? A subsequent Group One winner in Amber Sky. "It would be nice if this horse turned out to be as good," Yiu quipped after the race. "He worked down the back straight and more than matched Happy Agility, who won on Tuesday. I knew then he'd be competitive.
"What he had today that the other horse didn't was that he was professional, he was very focused and he knew what he had to do. And what about the ride from Damian? He bounced out of the gates, he got across to the outside fence and he rated the horse beautifully. It was a perfect ride."
Lane was a "happy chappy" after breaking through yesterday following 25 unplaced rides, but he said the struggle in Hong Kong was off the track rather than on it.
"I'm pleased it hasn't taken too long to ride a winner, it's only my fourth meeting," the 21-year-old jockey said. "I'm finding the racing itself is no harder here than Melbourne - there are plenty of top class jockeys riding there too - but what I am finding hard is getting on a good ride. Once Zac, Joao and Douglas are booked, it's tough to get a good chance."
Outlawed turned his form around at his fourth local start under a heady ride from Wong, who set strong fractions early, kicked clear at the top of the straight and had enough of a break to scamper home.
"He's one-paced and just needs to lead, which he showed last start when he was in behind them and didn't settle," Yiu said. "The kid showed today he will make a good jockey in time - he came from last on his first winner and then produced a good front-running ride here. Not many 10-pound claimers can do that."
