Vincent Ho Chak-yiu will miss at least this Sunday’s feature meeting at Sha Tin but could well be sidelined for longer, with the Jockey Club yet to confirm the star rider’s injuries.
It is believed Ho was experiencing pain in his neck and left hand after his nasty fall from Romantic Charm at Sha Tin on Wednesday night, with the 33-year-old set to undertake “further tests and assessments” after a number of scans on Thursday.
“The club’s chief medical officer has advised that Vincent Ho, who was dislodged from Romantic Charm during the running of race eight at Sha Tin last night, has been assessed today. Jockey Ho is in stable condition and he will undertake further tests and assessments. A further release will be issued at the appropriate time in relation to Ho’s fitness to be able to resume riding,” Jockey Club stewards said in a statement on Thursday afternoon.
This latest stint on the sidelines continues a roller-coaster campaign for Ho, who missed the first two meetings of the 2023-24 term after fracturing his T5 vertebra in a scary off-season fall in Japan.
Ho free to ride Sixty, but it’s cost him HK$120,000: ‘it’s not what I hoped for’
He was then slapped with a 10-meeting suspension – reduced to eight and a HK$120,000 fine – for failing to ride Capital Delight all the way to the line in early October.
But things had been chugging along nicely since then for Ho, with wins in the International Jockeys’ Championship and aboard Golden Sixty in the Group One Hong Kong Mile in December before he made a strong start to 2024 with eight winners from as many meetings.
Stewards have adjourned an inquiry into Ho’s accident until he can be interviewed, with the injured jockey’s mount in close proximity to Absolute Sunshine under Matthew Poon Ming-fai immediately before the fall.
While Ho won’t be riding at Sha Tin on Sunday, Zac Purton will be after shaking off the lightheadedness that brought his night to a premature end at Sha Tin on Wednesday.
Stood down from his final four midweek rides, Purton was up bright and early to work Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) favourite Lucky Sweynesse on Thursday morning and the city’s best sprinter is one of the champion jockey’s 10 rides this weekend.
Lucky Sweynesse has drawn barrier five as he chases a second consecutive Centenary Sprint Cup, while Purton also looks to have genuine winning chances aboard Gorgeous Win and Celtic Times.
“I’m feeling all right now. The gate looks OK, it’s a little bit tricky, and hopefully he can begin well and get himself in a good spot,” Purton said of Lucky Sweynesse.
Sixty shines again but HK’s representation in world rankings worst since 2008
Meanwhile, next weekend’s Classic Mile has taken a significant hit, with four gallopers withdrawn well over a week out from the first leg of the prestigious four-year-old series.
After only 15 horses were entered for the HK$13 million feature, Tony Cruz has confirmed California Voce, Enigma and True Genius won’t be taking their place, while Jamie Richards will plot a different path to the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) with Argentinian Group One winner Bravehearts.
Those withdrawals mean the Classic Mile already faces its smallest field since Golden Sixty brushed aside just eight rivals in 2020, with the possibility of more scratchings to come.
