
Matthew Poon holds off charging Derek Leung to win Tony Cruz Award at Happy Valley finale
The 31-year-old entered the night one clear of Matthew Chadwick and two ahead of Leung, but it looked set to be a heartbreaking evening when Ragnarr arrived a nose too late in the opening Class Five Silver Grecian Handicap (1,200m).
Frustration would have been building for Poon just 30 minutes later when Flying Wrote missed out in a photo in the Class Four Star Shine Handicap (1,200m), and Leung drew ominously closer in the next when Vulcanus ran riot in the Class Four Let Me Fight Handicap (1,200m).
The local riders' premiership went down to the final race, with Chadwick needing a win to snatch the title from Poon. That looked likely 100m out when Thriving Brothers flew to the lead, but three other rivals flashed over the top in a remarkable finish, with the Leung-ridden Regal Gem getting up in the final stride.
FOR THE FINAL TIME IN 2024/25... 😤
Regal Gem lands a first win in Hong Kong, grabbing the final race of the season over Storming Dragon at Happy Valley as Derek Leung seals a double! ✌️#SeasonFinale | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/iJfPkVmozO — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) July 16, 2025
That tied Poon and Leung on firsts and seconds, but with Poon ahead by a substantial margin on third-place finishes, he took the title by the barest of margins.
'It's a really great competition. It's good motivation for all of us. We stay very focused and hungry throughout the season,' said Poon. 'All of the local jockeys improve as a result.
'I think it really encourages every local jockey to improve. I'm so glad I can get there and it means a lot to win my first one – hopefully I will win a second one as well.'
Elsewhere, S J Tourbillon continued his brilliant end to the season by completing a hat-trick in the Class Four Turin Redsun Handicap (1,800m) under Karis Teetan.
Three wins in a row! Former @coolmorestud galloper S J Tourbillon continues his sizzling form for @KarisTeetan and Dennis Yip at Happy Valley... 💪#SeasonFinale | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/yemPunoo4k — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) July 16, 2025
The pair had a lot of ground to make up coming off the bend, but Teetan galvanised his mount and they surged to the front 100m out and were quickly away for an emphatic success.
'In the mornings he's very fresh and Karis said after his last trackwork that the horse was more confident – he'd seen a big change in the horse. Karis was very confident about this race,' said trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong.
'He carried 14lb more than he did for the first of his wins – it was a big change and he's done really well.
'If he can keep the form I think he can win again. The 1,800m and 2,000m races in Class Three aren't very strong so I'm confident he'll win again next season.'
It was the first leg of a double for Teetan, who also snagged the Class Four Super Oasis Handicap (1,650m) aboard Amazing Run for David Hayes.
There was a feel-good moment, too, with Benno Yung Tin-pang grabbing a farewell winner with Speedy Smartie in the Silver Grecian Handicap.
Luke Ferraris went wire-to-wire on the five-year-old, who got the bob over a charging Ragnarr in a desperate photo finish.
The 66-year-old signs off from training after 12 seasons and luck was on his side for his final meeting.
'He's been struggling for a while, he's been down to Class Five and drawn wide a couple of times. Most of the time he's had a bad draw and a bad situation, so it was lucky today,' said Yung.
'Last meeting and the first race – it's quite meaningful for me.'
Beauty Waves is in a race of his own! 🚀@zpurton doubles up at tonight's #SeasonFinale for Tony Cruz in the Class 2 feature... @Beautystablehk #HappyWednesday | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/VZWviMZKEs — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) July 16, 2025
Zac Purton was also on the scoresheet for a double late on the card, with Highland Rahy winning the Class Three Sweet Orange Handicap (1,650m) before Beauty Waves ran away with the feature Class Two Lucky Patch Handicap (1,200m).
Bigger targets await that classy operator, who smashed the track record and will return to Group company next season.
'He's going to get nine to 10 rating points and he broke the track record too, so we don't have much choice but to go up in grade,' said Beauty Waves' owner Patrick Kwok Ho-chuen.
'He was carrying 134lb breaking that record, which is very rare, but against Ka Ying Rising – the monster – a place would be like winning.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


South China Morning Post
2 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
World Aquatics Championships: China claim trio of golds to continue diving dominance
China swept both diving finals to secure three gold medals at the World Aquatics Championships in Singapore on Sunday, continuing their long-held dominance of the sport. There were two golds in the mixed synchronised 10-metre platform and another in the men's 1m springboard event. Zhu Yongxin and Xie Peiling, diving together at a major international meet for the first time, topped the mixed event with 323.04 points, finishing just ahead of North Korea's Choe Wi-hyon and Jo Jin-mi, who scored 322.98. The Chinese pair were ranked last out of 12 competitors after the first of five dives, but held steady to climb the rankings and took the top spot following their fourth dive. Neutral athletes Aleksandr Bondar and Anna Konanykhina claimed bronze with 311.88. 'This wasn't an easy win; it was a tough battle, and in the end, we won by just a tiny margin,' Zhu said. 'Looking back, I felt a bit nervous about how close it was. But ultimately, I'm really glad we managed to secure the victory.'


South China Morning Post
8 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
More top clubs tipped to follow Liverpool to Hong Kong, but Kai Tak pitch concerns remain
Two of the key figures in bringing 'some of the best football on the planet' to Hong Kong have indicated that marquee fixtures could become a staple of the city's sporting calendar. Kai Tak Stadium's ongoing Hong Kong Football Festival has received rave reviews from fans, managers and players. AC Milan beat Liverpool 4-2 in front of almost 50,000 supporters on Saturday, with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur set to meet on Thursday. Organisers would have been alarmed, nonetheless, to hear Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk double down on his criticism of the pitch on Saturday, hours after Kai Tak Sports Park CEO John Sharkey had issued a robust defence of the surface. However, the arena's air conditioning has been a hit with players, and it allowed Milan and Liverpool to deliver a brisk, competitive contest. 'This demonstrates what the investment in Kai Tak has been about,' Sharkey said. 'It's hot and humid, but in climate-controlled conditions, we'll see some of the best football on the planet played in Hong Kong in the middle of July, in a way that couldn't have happened without this stadium. 'We're delighted to host this first festival of football, in line with the ambitions we had for this venue.'


South China Morning Post
11 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
Arsenal seal £55 million Viktor Gyokeres deal, expect him to join team in Hong Kong
Arsenal have finally solved their striker conundrum by completing the £55 million (US$73 million) signing of Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting Lisbon, and fans in Hong Kong could be among the first to see him in action for his new side. The 27-year-old, who fired Sporting to the title last season with 39 goals and netted a Champions League hat-trick against Manchester City, is understood to have signed a five-year deal at the Emirates. Gyokeres' transfer, which could end up costing the North London club as much as £64m with performance-related add-ons, takes Arsenal's close-season spending to the region of £200 million. The Sweden international will be expected to meet up with his new teammates in the Gunners' ongoing pre-season tour of Singapore and Hong Kong. Arsenal face Newcastle in the Singapore National Stadium on Sunday ahead of the concluding game of their tour, against Tottenham in Hong Kong on July 31. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta (left) and Bukayo Saka during a pre-season training session at the National Stadium in Singapore. Photo: AFP Gyokeres, who was in the Sporting team beaten 5-1 by Arsenal last season, told the club's website: 'I just felt that it was the right club for me, [from] what I heard from Mikel and [sporting director] Andrea [Berta] when I was speaking with them, and just what I've seen in the past years, how they've been playing football.