Angus Chung Yik-lai graduated from his apprenticeship in emphatic style after guiding Colourful Emperor to a dominant win for his boss Tony Cruz at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

Chung lapped up his 70th Hong Kong victory, standing high in his irons and pumping his fist as Colourful Emperor exploded clear to make the second section of the Class Three ParisLongchamp Handicap (1,200m) a one-act affair.

After sitting outside the lead in the early stages, the Holy Roman Emperor gelding hit the front early in the straight and left his rivals in his wake to beat Solar Partner by three lengths.

Chung, 27, will join the senior jockey ranks and have his claim reduced from five pounds to three from Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting.

“It feels amazing,” said Chung, who rode 76 winners in South Australia before returning to Hong Kong to ride in 2022.

“It was very frustrating to wait for three or four meetings. I felt a little bit of pressure because people were talking about the next winner and they were reminding me of previous mistakes and that I should be winning.

“Everything is working well for me in Hong Kong. I’ve got a good trainer to support me, to teach me how to ride, the Apprentice School and the Hong Kong Jockey Club organises everything for me and I don’t have to worry too much and I can just focus on the riding.

“I have the support of a lot of people behind me and tonight I made them proud and I feel very satisfied.”

Cruz, an icon of Hong Kong racing as a jockey and trainer, was full of praise for Chung.

“Angus rode a perfect race and the horse seemed to love [the good-to-yielding track],” Cruz said.

“I’m very happy to see him finish his apprenticeship. We thought it would happen last Sunday but this was the horse that could do it for him.”

Elsewhere, Francis Lui Kin-wai cut Pierre Ng Pang-chi’s lead in the trainers’ premiership to five with a race-to-race double courtesy of Copartner Prance in the Class Three France Galop Cup (1,200m) and Yellowfin in the Class Four Deauville Handicap (1,650m).

Copartner Prance continued his upward spiral with a third consecutive win when he scored by a length and a quarter under Zac Purton, who sealed a double after booting home Beauty Destiny in the Class Four French May Trophy (1,200m).

“His last two runs, the horses he beat were a bit ordinary,” Lui said of Copartner Prance.

“This was a challenge for him up in class. After the race, Zac Purton said the horse was more calm and travelled comfortably. He’s always improving.”

Apprentice Ellis Wong Chi-wang outrode his 10-pound claim with a race-to-race brace of his own, booting home Dennis Yip Chor-hong’s Cordyceps One in the Class Four Chantilly Handicap (1,650m) and David Hayes’ Dragon Delight in the Class Five Auteuil Handicap (1,650m).

After reaching 20 Hong Kong wins, Wong’s claim will be reduced from 10 pounds to seven.

Dragon Delight also brought up Price Bloodstock’s 900th win in Hong Kong. Yellowfin was another winner for bloodstock agent David Price’s operation, which sourced its latest Group One winner when Beauty Eternal claimed last Sunday’s Champions Mile.

Yip notched wins in three consecutive races, adding the first two winners on the Valley card – Modest Gentleman and Cordyceps One – to his triumph with Phoenix Light in the Sha Tin finale last Sunday.

“[Modest Gentleman] only joined my stable about four weeks ago,” Yip said after Jerry Chau Chun-lok lifted Modest Gentleman to victory in the Class Five Maisons-Laffitte Handicap (1,000m).

“I have just given him more swimming. Lucky he had the draw [barrier two] and could handle the ground.

“[Cordyceps One] also likes the ground. I thought if he could get to the front, he would be a very good chance.”