Ricky Yiu joined an illustrious band of Hong Kong trainers with Chill Buddy`s (127lb) victory under Joao Moreira in the Class 3 HKU Jockey Club Student Villages Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (7 June), becoming only the fifth horseman to saddle 1,100 winners in the jurisdiction.



Famed for his association with Hong Kong Triple Crown winner Voyage Bubble and crack sprinters Sacred Kingdom, Fairy King Prawn, Amber Sky and Ultra Fantasy, Yiu joined John Moore (1,735 wins), John Size (1,659) Tony Cruz (1,611) and Caspar Fownes (1,227) in a select group to reach the landmark.



Yiu, 68, has snared most of the city`s feature races and claimed the Hong Kong trainers` championship in 2019/20.



“I`ve been training here for over 30 years, so for the period of time I`ve been a trainer, I can make it there. If I only had 20 years, I wouldn`t have made it,” Yiu said before crowning a memorable meeting with Chill Easy`s (126lb) convincing victory in the Class 3 HKU Jockey Club Tower Handicap (1400m) under Jerry Chau.



Formerly known as Storm Piece when trained by Ger Lyons in Ireland, the Night Of Thunder gelding won at Gowran Park and Naas before transferring to Yiu. Chill Easy earned a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million in a slick time of 1m 21.17s.



Yiu`s 1,100th success came as Fownes tightened his grip on the 2025/26 trainers` championship by extending his lead in the standings to four wins over Mark Newnham with the triumph of Love Together (133lb) in the Class 3 HKU Foundation Handicap (1000m) under Moreira, who has now ridden 12 winners from the past six fixtures.



With only 10 meetings left in the campaign, Fownes has 61 wins from Newnham (57), Danny Shum (57), Francis Lui (51) and David Hayes (50).



“It was quite exciting because we fancied it, actually,” Fownes said after Love Together`s success. “We thought the horse was going really good, and he deserved to win. He`s been racing really well for a three-year-old all season, mixing it at both tracks.



“So, it`s nice when you get it right and when they win by those margins (a short head). When you`re fighting out a championship, this is where it comes down to, where we need them.”



Lui remains in the championship fray after the impressive win of Hot Delight (119lb) in the Class 2 Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarships Handicap (1200m) under Vincent Ho.



Settling midfield, the three-year-old forged over the final 400m in 22.93s to defeat Magic Control (124lb), Public Attention (119lb) and Group 1 winner Victor The Winner (127lb) in 1m 08.63s to claim a PPG bonus of HK$1 million and improve his overall record to four wins from five starts.



Lui will target next season`s Four-Year-Old Classic Series with the Too Darn Hot gelding. “If he can improve, I think he has very good potential. I think we can plan backwards from the Classic Series now - he`s our first choice,” Lui said. “He`s an honest horse and I think his quality is very good. Vincent knows him really well and he got a good position and had him travelling well. Vincent said he was really happy with how he performed.”



Hayes slotted his 50th victory for the season when Leaping Star (118lb) broke through at his 12th start to claim the Class 4 University Hall Handicap (1800m, dirt). Formerly known as Scott Key when trained by Andrew Slattery in Ireland, the Starspangledbanner gelding had won at Gowran Park and Galway before export to Hong Kong.



Chau boosted his hopes of winning the Tony Cruz Award for the first time as leading homegrown jockey with a double, having also prevailed on Mark Newnham`s Ace (124lb) in the Class 4 HKU Heritage Handicap (1600m).



Chau`s double left him on 44 wins for the campaign and holding a 12-win lead over Ho (32).



“It`s (potential victory in the Tony Cruz Award) getting more positive and I`m just trying to give the horses every chance and give my best to every horse.” Chau said.



Leading Dragon (126lb) impressed in winning the Class 4 Hong Kong University Alumni Association Challenge Cup Handicap (1200m) for Pierre Ng. Ridden by Andrea Atzeni, the three-year-old led from start to finish to score in 1m 09.80s.



Ethan Brown notched his first win at Sha Tin when Dennis Yip-trained Top To Sky (126lb) held off Winning Machine (132lb) to land the Class 5 HKU Business School And Faculty Of Engineering Handicap (1400m).



“I`ve come close (to winning at Sha Tin) a couple of times, but it`s certainly good to get the monkey off the back,” Brown said. “It`s tough, but we`re persisting and getting support from plenty of trainers and it`s good to get a winner today to keep the ball rolling.”



Yip sealed a brace with three-year-old Master Payment`s (132lb) all-the-way victory under Zac Purton in the Class 4 HKU Facilities Of Dentistry And Social Sciences Handicap (1200m).



Chris So`s Firefoot (130lb) was rewarded for his consistency this season – the gelding had finished second on four occasions and third twice – with victory in the Class 5 HKU Facilities Of Arts And Education Handicap (1800m, dirt) under well-judged Karis Teetan ride, while Cody Mo saddled his 100th career winner when Honorary (117lb) struck under Alexis Badel in the Class 4 HKU Faculties Of Law And Medicine Handicap (1400m).



Hong Kong racing continues at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (10 June).