HKJC apprentice Angus Chung finds success through perseverance and determination
- Apprentice jockey Angus Chung Yik-lai enjoyed a successful debut season on the Hong Kong jockey roster
- Chung converted from working in football coaching to joining the Apprentice Jockeys’ School after discovering a passion for racing
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Angus Chung Yik-lai is fully focused as he races down the home straight. He gives the best of himself in every race and knows that the winning margin is often measured by split seconds in this most competitive of sports.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Chung started riding professionally after receiving his apprentice jockey licence from the Hong Kong Jockey Club at the start of the 2022/23 racing season. The awarding of the permit followed a training period of six years, of which two and a half were spent training and racing in Australia.
During his first year of professional riding, the talented 26-year-old accumulated 31 wins from 435 races – an enviable record for any jockey in their first year in Hong Kong, let alone an apprentice. This is even more remarkable given that Chung does not hail from a racing background.
He previously worked in football for a living – coaching children in the sport – but soon realised that the job did not suit him. In the summer of 2017, Chung came across the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Racing Trainee Programme. The athletic Chung decided to give it a try.