Tony Cruz is backing Angus Chung Yik-lai to make amends for his costly mistake when the apprentice jockey rides California Cible in Wednesday’s Class Three Tsing Yi Handicap (1,200m) at Happy Valley.

In the aftermath of last year’s penultimate race at Happy Valley, Jockey Club stewards relegated first-past-the-post California Cible and reprimanded Chung for their inference of Humble Star, with Jerry Chau Chun-lok’s mount winning the contest on protest.

In the world’s most fickle racing environment, it would have been easy for Cruz – who answers to the owners of the gallopers in his stable – to replace Chung with a more experienced jockey for California Cible’s next run in his injury-interrupted career.

No one would have blamed Cruz if he had gone away from Chung for what will be only California Cible’s eighth start since he transferred from Australia to Hong Kong in May 2021, particularly in view of the young jockey’s below-par Happy Valley statistics.

Chung is one from 59 at Happy Valley since Jockey Club stewards approved him to race at the tight track two months into his rookie season – he was successful aboard Cruz-trained stayer Circuit Elite on his third city-circuit outing – despite partnering eight favourites.

But Cruz, who is the most celebrated alumnus of the Apprentice Jockeys’ School that Chung joined in 2017, believes in the 26-year-old trainee.

“He’s a young kid and he’s always learning from the mistakes he makes,” said Cruz of Chung. “We always watch the video tapes of his rides together and we learn from the videos the mistakes he’s making.

“The meeting after he was disqualified on California Cible, he rode Ima Single Man for me at Sha Tin. In the straight, he changed his whip – from his right hand to his left hand – and he won the race.

“He won’t make the same mistake twice, I’m pretty sure of that. I reckon he’s got a good chance of winning [on California Cible] this time.”

California Cible, who dead-heated for first in his Sha Tin trial under Chung on February 3, has been away from the races for seven weeks because the decision of the stewards was not the only thing that hurt him at Happy Valley on December 28.

“We did X-rays on his joints because he got injured in his previous race,” Cruz said. “He got a bone infection and stuff like that. He’s fine now. I’m very happy with him. The vets are very happy with him. All systems are go with him for Wednesday.”

Cruz trains 1,000th Sha Tin winner: ‘he’s the biggest legend in Hong Kong’

One of Cruz’s four Happy Valley entrants across the nine-race midweek programme, California Cible lines up against last-start winner Hero Star over his favourite course and distance, city-circuit specialist Winning Icey and nine other gallopers in the 12-runner capacity field.

Also representing Cruz at Happy Valley on Wednesday are Righteous Arion, who is seeking back-to-back wins, Atomic Energy and Atomic Beauty, with Chung riding the latter two gallopers for his master and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu steering the former.

Chung has seven assignments at Happy Valley on Wednesday, with his bulging book of rides also including Shenron, Samarkand and Kungfumaster Panda for rookie trainer Pierre Ng Pang-chi and Victory Scholars for Caspar Fownes.