Even for the most seasoned jockeys, Hong Kong is an amazing place to ride, but you wouldn’t know it when you talk to the city’s newest student Nichola Yuen Hang-yiu.
True, like all local apprentices, Yuen spent a lot of time honing his craft overseas, riding 78 winners across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in the five years leading up to his April 1 debut in Hong Kong, but as is often said, Hong Kong is a completely different animal.
Better ride here, so you’d forgive Yuen for taking a while to adjust and find his feet, but that hasn’t proved to be the case.
Last Sunday’s meeting at Sha Tin marked Yuen’s third double so far and took him to 12 wins for the season, more than halfway to the 20-win mark which will see his claim reduced from 10lb to 7lb.
Comparisons are often the thief of joy and statistics are difficult to quantify, but just a cursory look at the numbers shows that Yuen is on an exciting path.
Jerry Chau Chun-lok, who broke the record for most wins in a season as a freshman back in the 2020-21 season, waved goodbye to his 10-pound claim after 179 rides. Yuen has only had 88 rides so far.
Again, the stats should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s been a good start for the 25-year-old, who isn’t setting any big goals.
“I didn’t think too much about the goals for this season, I will continue to work hard and hopefully the more winners I ride, the more confident I can be,” Yuen told SCMP after his results on Sunday.
“I just keep working hard, always ride my best, give the horses the best chance and always do my best.
“I have always believed in doing things step by step, I don’t want to think too much, I just focus on the next step.
“Hopefully I can get 10 pounds off and then seven, five and maybe even in the future I’ll be doing Group races – that’s my aim.”
Yuen is trained by trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai and couldn’t hide his smile after the rider pipped champion Zac Purton in a tough finish aboard Packing Glory on Sunday.
That added to his previous win on Packing Glory’s Rapid Phantom and Yuen is very grateful to have a great trainer as his boss, although Yiu may start watching his winner’s tally with concern in the near future.
“Ricky is a very good boss and he was a good jockey in Hong Kong, so he has a lot of experience and can teach me how to ride all his horses,” Yuen said.
“He can also teach me all the tricks of driving in Hong Kong in a very competitive environment. So I’m very grateful to have him as my boss.”
Even in the face of relentless competition, Yuen has been receiving good advice from his weight room mates, with one giving him the best marks.
“It’s really competitive here compared to other places – all the best jockeys are here,” Yuen said. “I can say that it’s the most competitive environment I’ve ever been in, but I’ve learned a lot from all the top players.
“Vincent Ho has been a great help – I’m very lucky to have him as my idol. He’s a player I look up to.”
For Amy Chan Lim-chee, Principal of Jockey Club Pupils School, it is an exciting time, with two female students on the driving books.
Britney Wong Po-ni, who became the first woman in seven years to drive full-time in Hong Kong when she starts the 2024-25 season, is also enjoying success and has 29 wins in her domestic career to date.
“We are very proud of the girls. I think Nichola has done really well – if there have been any problems, she tries really hard to solve them and as a team, we solve them together,” Chan said. “It is very important that both of them are in the same class, as they grow up together.”
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