STYLE Edit: How do top jockeys train in Hong Kong? Inside Vincent Ho and Matthew Chadwick’s schedules ahead of horse racing must-see, the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley
- Ahead of the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship on December 7, that’s part of the Hong Kong International Races this month, two home-grown heroes trained to the max
- Unlike riders from other countries, Vincent Ho and Matthew Chadwick didn’t start riding until they were in their teens, and will now compete with the world’s best for almost US$1 million
At the upcoming Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) at Hong Kong Happy Valley Racecourse, two of the names would make local residents especially proud: Vincent Ho and Matthew Chadwick.
The IJC, taking place today, December 7, is an all-star race where the spotlight is on the jockeys rather than the horses.
These two leading home-grown talents are among the highest-ranking riders in Hong Kong to be included in the star-studded race, rivalling the fastest jockeys in the world.
“Riders overseas connect with horses since they were babies or very young. And they started riding races way younger than the apprentices here. Some of them already won Group 1 (the highest level of horse racing games) in their teens,” Ho explains, citing time and age as two of the biggest challenges faced by Hong Kong jockeys.
A graduate of Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School, Ho sat on a horse for the first time at the age of 17 and began racing at 18 years old. He has had an impressive resume since the beginning of his career, winning the Champion Apprentice title with 39 wins in the 2010-11 season.
In addition to riding in Hong Kong, the 32-year-old has raced and won around the world and earned a spot at the 2022 World All-Star Jockeys at Japan’s Sapporo this past summer.
Chadwick, also a graduate of the same Apprentice Jockeys’ School, started a bit earlier – at 14 years old.
“When I was young, I wasn’t sure what career I’d step into. I always loved sports and animals. The trainee programme came along – [I thought] it was a summer course – and that was that,” says Chadwick, recalling how he got his start.
