Vincent Ho claimed a hugely popular first victory in the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship thanks to a beautifully judged front-running success on Tomodachi Kokoroe in the fourth and final leg at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (6 December).
Rachel King, Ryan Moore and Zac Purton had each claimed a maximum 12 points with wins in the opening three races of the challenge, though it was the ultra-consistent Lyle Hewitson who led going into the decider thanks to two seconds and a third.
Ho had earlier kept himself in the hunt for the HK$600,000 first prize when finishing third in each of the first two legs, though the reality that he had become Hong Kong’s first home-grown jockey to win the IJC had yet to dawn after he dictated matters from the front on the David Hayes-trained Tomodachi Kokoroe, saving enough to repel the late charge of Purton on Kaholo Angel.
Ho claimed the title with 20 points – 12 for a win, six for second and four for third – from Purton (18) and King (16).