Vincent Ho\u2019s return from injury was a monumental comeback on its own, but now the 35-year-old has earned the opportunity to try and win another LONGINES International Jockeys\u2019 Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley next Wednesday night (10 December).\u00a0<\/p>
Ho suffered a serious head injury and neck fractures after he was unseated in February, requiring extensive rehabilitation. His testing journey saw him visit the Swiss Olympic Medical Centre, get reacquainted with horses again, before finally steeling himself for a return to competition in early September following the mishap at Sha Tin.<\/p>
\u201cI wasn\u2019t expecting something like this early in the season after seven months of rehab \u2013 coming back wasn\u2019t easy. It took me a little bit of time,\u201d Ho said.<\/p>
\u201cI did a lot more work than before to get myself ready to race. To be able to ride winners now is lovely, and of course, I\u2019m always thankful to Mr Fownes and Mr Lui for believing in me. I\u2019m pleased with my results and proud of myself.\u201d<\/p>
Caspar Fownes and Francis Lui are two of Ho\u2019s biggest supporters. But during his time away, he found solace in an equine friend, former champion Golden Sixty, who Ho partnered to 26 wins at Sha Tin \u2013 including a joint-Hong Kong record 10 Group 1s.<\/p>
\u201cHe\u2019s the only horse I trust 100 per cent. To have a horse to get on for the first time and to feel safe is important, coming back from a serious injury. Luckily, Northern Farm is close enough, and to get there quite frequently and easily is important,\u201d Ho said.<\/p>
Golden Sixty\u2019s fierce disposition was met with incredible talent, and Ho was his trusted partner in all 31 races, including an historic 2019\/20 Four-Year-Old Classic Series clean-sweep. Together, they entered the pantheon of Hong Kong racing\u2019s all-time greats.\u00a0<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”9861″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
\u201cEven retired, he is still so important in my life. I have a good bond with him, even when he was here, I would see him every day,\u201d Ho said. \u201cIt was important that I felt safe as I reconnected with horses again after seven months off. He helped me build my confidence, so then I could come back and start trackwork.<\/p>
\u201cTo be able to go there frequently and know he\u2019s doing well, and for myself, to do some flat work, pole work and a little bit of dressage with him. It\u2019s something different, and since the pandemic, I stopped. It\u2019s good to pick up again and with him, he is a beginner at dressage. I am also learning, but it\u2019s good progress for both of us.\u201d<\/p>
Revered by fans and peers for his determination and relentless growth mindset, Ho started off riding dressage as a youngster before entering The Hong Kong Jockey Club\u2019s Apprentice Jockeys\u2019 School, which sent him to learn from jockey-turned-trainer Lance O\u2019Sullivan, brother of former Hong Kong-based trainer Paul.<\/p>
Returning to Hong Kong in 2009\/10, Ho posted 10 wins \u2013 a solid foundation, but the first step towards a career-high 96 victories in 2022\/23. This season, Ho\u2019s ridden 14 winners, and he believes this year\u2019s LONGINES IJC shapes as one of its most competitive renewals yet.<\/p>
\u201cI think this year\u2019s line-up is one of the best. Umberto (Rispoli), who has been away for a while … Christophe Lemaire is even coming back now, and it seems like Ryan (Moore) is getting back in time. It\u2019s amazing. Mickael (Barzalona) is another amazing jockey. Being able to ride with them is a privilege,\u201d Ho said.<\/p>
Zac Purton, James McDonald, Joao Moreira, Hollie Doyle, Rachel King, William Buick and Hugh Bowman will also compete against Ho, who filled the spot available to the leading homegrown rider. Overall, seven LONGINES IJC winners will feature this year.<\/p>
The four-race competition works on a points-based system, with 12 points for a win, six for second and four for third. The overall winner takes home HK$600,000, while HK$250,000 goes to second, with HK$150,000 for third.<\/p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”9859″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” onclick=”link_image”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Vincent Ho\u2019s return from injury was a monumental comeback on its own, but now the 35-year-old has earned the opportunity to try and win another LONGINES International Jockeys\u2019 Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley next Wednesday night (10 December).\u00a0Ho suffered a serious head injury and neck fractures after he was unseated in… Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":9860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"_oasis_task_priority":"2normal","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9856"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9856"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9862,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9856\/revisions\/9862"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9860"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/campaigns.hkjc.com\/racing-event-hub-hkir\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}