FINALLY, SOMETHING GOES RIGHT FOR MOWER MAN WONG

Former boom apprentice Victor Wong, who was indentured to Leon Wells in Tasmania and Richard Jolly in South Australia, avoided the ignominy of a winless Hong Kong thoroughbred racing season when he rode a winner at this term’s last meeting.

Chinese jockey Wong registered 44 winners in Tasmania and 76 winners in South Australia between January 2015 and March 2018 before the Hong Kong Jockey Club issued him with a licence to take part in its highly competitive jurisdiction. Wong rode 13 winners in his first Hong Kong campaign and backed up that achievement with 38 winners and nine winners in his next two seasons, respectively. But this term was a disaster for Wong, at least until his 231st start resulted in his first win when Shanghai Power won at Happy Valley.

Wong finished the 2020-2021 Hong Kong season with one first, five seconds, seven thirds and 11 fourths from 233 rides, one fewer victory than Ryan Moore posted in his 13 starts. Wong, whom Australian commentators nicknamed The Mower Man because Victa is a popular brand of garden equipment, would have become the first jockey to endure a winless Hong Kong campaign since Alvin Ng in 2018-2019 if Me Tsui Yu-sak-trained Shanghai Power had not won on Wednesday.

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