When Derek K C Leung won on Carthage for Derek Cruz this season, we don’t know why, but we thought that this could be the start of a new partnership.
This could well be now that the less-illustrious brother of Tony Cruz, has legged up Leung on Prosperous at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.
When teaming-up, Derek Cruz – Derek K C Leung have an impressive 52% stike-rate in bringing home runners in the first-four – and this partnership seems to be growing at a rapid rate.
Since its move to the Cruz yard and its three starts for the trainer, Prosperous has run second twice and third once.
It might be going back in time, but Prosperous has won over Wednesday’s course and distance twice – in its first season of racing in Hong Kong.
More to the point, Cruz backs the horse up rather quickly and from when he dead-heated for second this season with China Good.
Also ridden then by Leung, it was beaten a neck by the Alvin K C Ng-ridden Beautiful Dreamer.
Bottom line: Both the Dereks have made great starts to the new racing season.
The trainer has done a miraculous job to patch up the injury-plagued, but oh-so-talented Joy And Fun to win the Chief Executive’s Cup this season.
He did the same with the very controversial galloper Carthage which caused such media coverage when it left the John Moore yard.
Perceived by many as an expensive no-hoper, Carthage has already won this season – and with Derek K C Leung aboard.
As for Leung, after being in the shadow of Matthew Chadwick for too long when both were apprentices, he has become a senior jockey with the natural talent to go very far.
He can ride them on the pace, off the pace and can be followed on any horse with a chance.
In fact, when an apprentice and everyone was raving about Chadwick, no less than Douglas Whyte told us to keep following Leung who he reckoned was the best of the local Young Guns.
Will Prosperous live up to its name on Wednesday?
Drawn Barrier 9 and again running over 1000 metres, we cannot see why not.
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