Francis Lui Kin-wai joined an elite group of trainers to reach 1,000 wins in Hong Kong when Speed Dragon stormed home from last for a stunning victory in Wednesday night’s Group Three January Cup (1,800m) at Happy Valley.
Champion trainer in 2023-24 and the handler of champion galloper Golden Sixty, Lui joined John Moore (1,735 wins), John Size (1,629), Tony Cruz (1,583), Caspar Fownes (1,196) and Ricky Yiu Poon-fai (1,082) in reaching the major milestone when Winning Money and Speed Dragon won at the city circuit.
Now 66, Lui started his racing career as an apprentice jockey, booting home 36 winners between 1975 and 1982 before later becoming an assistant trainer.
He received his own licence to train in 1996 and has enjoyed plenty of success in recent years, bagging 10 Group Ones with Golden Sixty and claiming an epic championship success by one win over Pierre Ng Pang-chi.
“Of course I’m very happy. I’ve enjoyed my life in racing – I started as an apprentice and it’s been nearly my whole life with horses. It’s been a great experience,” Lui said.
“[1,000 wins] is a big number and is not easy. Golden Sixty is special, but every winner to me is very important and for the owners.”
Speed Dragon helped Lui celebrate in style when he rocketed home from last under a daring Lyle Hewitson ride to claim the only Group race run at Happy Valley.
After being held up for clear running early in the straight, Speed Dragon unleashed a powerful burst when he speared through a gap between rivals in the centre of the track.
The six-year-old surged to the lead inside the final 100m and beat the $5.3 equal favourite, Huge Wave, by half a length. Fellow favourite Helene Feeling was beaten a length and a quarter in third.
“I had three horses in this race and they all had a chance. Chancheng Glory was the highest rated but in this kind of race, lightweights always win,” Lui said.
“[Speed Dragon] is an honest horse.”
Hewitson, a champion jockey and apprentice in his native South Africa, was thrilled to claim his first feature success in Hong Kong.
“I’m really happy that I could get it done. I’ve been touched off in a few Group races and most of them were for Francis, too, so to get the nose in front in such good fashion tonight, I’m thoroughly enjoying it,” Hewitson said.
“I got shuffled back to last on the turn but thankfully that was the section where they picked up the speed and I got a track into it and he quickened so well, I had to wait for the gap and before it had any chance to close, he was through and he won with authority.”
Winning Money supplied Lui with his 999th triumph when he broke through for his first win at start 11 in the second section of the Class Four Monaco Handicap (1,200m).
It was also the first leg of a double for champion jockey Zac Purton, who also won the Class Three APM Monaco Cup (1,650m) on Mark Newnham’s Max Que.
Newnham extended his championship lead to two over Caspar Fownes after joining Lui with a brace. Fortune Star was the Australian’s other winner under Luke Ferraris.
Fownes struck in the closing Class Three Saint Tropez Handicap (1,200m) when Alexis Badel lifted Mighty Commander to victory.
Cody Mo Wai-kit was the other trainer to bag a double on Wednesday night courtesy of Fortunate Son and Lucky Planet, while jockey Hugh Bowman also had a brace after booting home Fortunate Son and Storm Rider.
Lui wasn’t the only handler to celebrate a milestone, with Jimmy Ting Koon-ho notching his 200th victory courtesy of $41.9 roughie Blazing Beam in the Class Five Meteorites Handicap (1,200m).
