As much as Vincent Ho Chak-yiu would rather not think about his late-season bid for 100 wins, he admits constant reminders of where he stands are making it almost impossible.
In the midst of the season of his life, Ho has 85 victories – already 18 more than his previous best – and nine meetings to reach a milestone only legendary trio Douglas Whyte, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira have achieved.
“Even if I don’t think about it, everyone is mentioning it, so it’s hard not to think about it now,” Ho said.
“I’ll just do my best to ride as many winners as possible. Even 90 is a great achievement. You’ve already exceeded a winner a meeting.”
Ho will need a couple of big hauls in the final month of the season if he’s to get within reach of the vaunted century, and he likes the chances of a number of his 10 rides at Sha Tin on Sunday, including Caspar Fownes’ Galaxy Witness in the Class Two Lek Yuen Handicap (1,400m).
“He ran well last time, and he’s a nice horse, but sometimes the distance feels too short, and then you step him up, and it feels too long. Hopefully, 1,400m is his best. He’s a quality horse, and he’s fit, so he should be very competitive,” Ho said.
Ho has already had an on-off relationship with Fownes’ Kaholo Angel during the colt’s three-start career. After saluting with the three-year-old on debut, he stepped aside for the grey’s second start so apprentice Ellis Wong Chi-wang could make his Hong Kong debut aboard the horse before reuniting with him for a plain last-start sixth.
“Kaholo Angel was just OK last time – a little bit disappointing, to be honest. His work felt better than he raced, but now with the blinkers on, he should be more focused and better,” Ho said ahead of the Wo Che Plate (1,000m) for Griffins.
The most in-form of Ho’s mounts is Universal Horizon, who chases a second straight win in tandem with the jockey in the Class Three Shek Mun Handicap (1,800m).
“He handles 1,800m well, and he’s still very fit, so I think he can win this race,” Ho said.
Rounding out Ho’s book are Noble One, Golden Samurai, Master Of Fortune, Chilli Baba, Everyone’s Victory, Kokushi Musou and Captain Win.
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