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| Sumita Pawar |
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Encountered and Money Catcher are the horses that Derek Leung will be riding on Sunday 10th December at Sha Tin. Derek Leung, a local ace, is optimistic about his chances of returning to the big time. His biggest win to date was at the 2017 LONGINES Hong Kong International Races.
After graduating from The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School, Leung worked tirelessly to climb the ranks and eventually landed his first and only Group One win in the 2017 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile aboard Beauty Generation.
The talented jockey delivered a top-notch front-running performance to secure the victory with the two-time Hong Kong Horse of the Year (2017/18 & 2018/19). Leung's career began over two decades ago at pony club, followed by an apprenticeship that led to him winning 441 races in Hong Kong and earning two Tony Cruz Awards (2016/17 & 2017/18) as the season’s leading homegrown jockey.
“It’s a long time ago. Of course, it’s one of the best days and I still remember coming back and all of the fans were cheering. It was a good feeling,” Leung said.
At just his second LONGINES HKIR ride, Tom Marquand achieved success. Since then, the 35YO has had five more rides and will be competing with two horses in the HK$118 million showpiece. Encountered will be racing in the HK$32 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile and Money Catcher will be competing in the HK$36 million Gr.1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup. Encountered was Leung's first Group race victory in two years, as he saved ground along the rail to win the HK$4.2 million Gr.3 Sa Sa Ladies' Purse Handicap in November.
“He’s good. He’s had good draws recently, so he’s always in a good position. This time it will depend on the draw, he can be quite handy and positive, so hopefully we can follow the right horse and keep going,” Leung said.
Encountered, trained by Manfred Man, has been consistently raising the bar throughout his 19-start career in Hong Kong. He has secured victories in every Group from Class 3 up to Group 3. Jockey Derek Leung has noted that Encountered is mentally much better this season and has been able to relax more. Leung has a great record aboard the 114-rater, having ridden him to four wins from six pairings. Encountered will be making his first Group One attempt against some tough competition, including Golden Sixty, California Spangle, Beauty Eternal, Namur, Serifos, Cairo, and Voyage Bubble. Leung is optimistic about Encountered's performance and believes that the draw will be a big help.
Money Catcher, trained by Frankie Lor, is a regular on-pacer who has mostly competed in Hong Kong racing's upper grades. He has been a consistent performer, with a record of two wins, five seconds, and seven thirds from 24 runs in the city. Twice Group One -placed, Money Catcher finished third in the 2022 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup behind Romantic Warrior. He will be returning for his fourth run this term after placing third in the HK$5.35 million Gr.2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup last start. Leung notes that Money Catcher is quite one-paced and that his performance will depend on whether he can dictate the pace. Despite the tough competition, Leung believes that Money Catcher is fit and well and will perform well.