By Leo Schlink

Matthew Poon has withstood an inspired season finale push from Derek Leung to claim his first Tony Cruz Award as Hong Kong’s leading homegrown jockey in dramatic circumstances at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (16 July).

With Leung’s wins on Me Tsui’s Vulcanus in the Class 4 Let Me Fight Handicap (1200m) and Frankie Lor’s Regal Gem in the Class 3 Sun Jewellery Handicap (1200m), officials reverted to a countback based on third placings after both Poon and Leung finished the season with 36 wins and 38 seconds.

Mark Newnham’s stable is home to one of Hong Kong’s most exciting horses and the trainer, a superb winner of 43 races in his second campaign, heads into the Season Finale at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (16 July) already keen on what 2025/26 may have in store.

Newnham said: “As long as I built on last year, I was always going to be happy. I would say it’s probably exceeded expectations as far as being able to win a feature race with My Wish.

The current 2024/25 racing season concludes with Happy Valley’s Season Finale on Wednesday night, 16 July. On the night, racegoers may witness the crowning of the season’s Tony Cruz Award winner and the Champion Griffin award. A Jockeys’ Parade on the night is where fans have the chance to get up close to their favourite riders.

By Leo Schlink

John Size secured a record-extending 13th Hong Kong trainers’ championship at Sha Tin on Sunday (13 July) as the master trainer embarked on a familiar coronation march with a treble, further burnishing an extraordinary career.

Size sealed the championship with the wins of Sight Dreamer, Raging Rapids and Bundle Award to leave the Australian with 69 wins for the season – beyond the reach of compatriot David Hayes (60) – with only nine races left to be run at Wednesday night’s (16 July) Season Finale at Happy Valley.

Happy Valley Selections
(Wednesday, July 16, 2025)

Seventeenth last out in the Prix du Jockey Club, Leffard was first past the post Sunday at Longchamp in the Group 1 Grand Prix de Paris.

Longest shot among six runners on the American tote board, Leffard returned $31.80 after his narrow victory over heavily favored Trinity College in a 3-year-old restricted race.

A Grade 1 winner in America last year, Cinderella’s Dream became a Group 1 winner in England when she ran down favored January to capture the Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket.

Paul Lally: 
R1: 1-5-7-4 
R2: 1-2-5-8 
R3: 9-8-2-1 
R4: 8-10-12-1 
R5: 10-7-5-6 
R6: 9-8-14-6 
R7: 5-6-10-9 
R8: 2-6-5-4 
R9: 6-5-11-2 
R10: 13-6-3-1 
R11: 5-7-4-8 
Best Bet: R11 N5 Beauty Bolt 
Longshot: R10 N13 We Can Party 
Play R6 QQP 8-9-14 

Ka Ying Rising’s outstanding performance during the 2024/25 racing season saw the record-breaking speedster earn the Horse of the Year title at a special presentation held at the Grand Ballroom of the Rosewood Hotel in Hong Kong tonight (Friday, 11 July). In addition, he was also named Champion Sprinter and Champion Four-Year-Old at the ceremony.