When a jockey, Tony Cruz was a freak in the most complimentary way. He wasn’t just a “gun” rider, he was a young cannon- a prodigious talent born in Macau who very quickly ruled Hong Kong racing along, for a time, with another upstart named Gary Moore. Yes, THAT outré Gazza who’s enjoying life in Gazzaworld training horses as is his one-time friendly rival and still good friend who some refer to as Putha Man.
Both came from racing families, Gary being the younger and more illustrious son of the great George Moore, and Tony being the son of amateur jockey and then race rider Johnny Cruz and younger brother to Derek.
Alas, whereas the other Cruz’s in the family never made it as jockeys with their kamikaze efforts to win a race by leading at all costs on every horse they rode, Tony had that something special- a certain je ne sais quoi that, thanks to support from powerful Hong Kong Jockey Club Member, Owner and future Chairman of the Club, Alan Li, helped him to make the right connections and ride overseas and reach the lofty heights of big Group One race successes in Europe and England.
He won for owners like the Aga Khan and even the Queen. He was riding against some of the greatest riders of that time- Piggott, Willie Carson, Yves Saint Martin, Fallon, Eddery, Swinburn etc- and beating them.
To try and duplicate this Made In Hong Kong success has been mission impossible. Matthew Chadwick came the closest when he burst onto the Hong Kong racing season and was not surprisingly indentured to Tony Cruz as a ten-pound claiming apprentice.
After a brilliant start, this combination eventually spluttered to a stop. These days, back doing some riding and winning for his former mentor, Matty Chadwick is our favourite local rider along with Derek Leung, both of whom are having somewhat of a renaissance period, whereas word is that Vincent Ho is looking at riding in Japan during the off-season.
Who else is there other than Jerry Chau? Chau made a good start to his karmic opportunity to ride in Hong Kong, but which just might be plateauing out.
Interestingly, he doesn’t seem to be doing that much riding for his one time master Douglas Whyte whereas a few other leading trainers are yet to use his services. Wonder why...
What about the others? Are they just making up the numbers and with their futures being to become work riders? And what about a female apprentice like Scarlet So who did pretty well in South Australia?
Scarlet quietly slipped back to Hong Kong and is currently a track work rider.
Hong Kong born Nichola Yuen is up and running and winning in places like Murray Bridge as part her apprenticeship before returning to Hong Kong. And then what?
Female rider Kei Chiong did very well, but it was always in the cards that her career as a race rider was going to be short lived.
She’s now happy being a popular bloodstock agent with her own list of loyal clients. Clever girl.
For all the other local riders, career opportunities seem rather thin on the ground unless of course they somehow eventually become trainers like what former jockeys Frankie Lor, Jimmy Ting and, er, Dennis Yip are today- and Tony Cruz.
But Cruzy is a different cat who’s in his own space. He is as competitive as ever and nothing much gets past him. He isn’t easily impressed. He’s seen and done it all.
He is his own man and someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
Dig, man? Cool? Cool.
