Ellis Wong and Caspar Fownes the Perfect Team at Sha Tin
FROM looking at the jockeys’ roster in Hong Kong this season you might find yourself wondering why young 23-year-old Ellis Wong doesn’t get more rides in the territory?
The former graduate from the HKJC trainee programme, was sent over to Australia in 2021 to sharpen his skills and returned back to his homeland this year in May having accumulated 88 winners.
Under the tutelage of trainer Caspar Fownes, the youngster claimed three wins from just 34 rides in the closing months of last season and might have expected a lot more support this term.
With his 10-pound claiming allowance worth its weight in gold in the territory, he must have expected owners’ and trainers’ to be clamouring for his services, but it just hasn’t happened.
Despite only riding in 30 races so far in the current campaign – 22 of those were for his mentor Fownes – he has still managed to ride another three winners, and is surely worth more support than he is getting.
With a handful of rides at Sha Tin on Sunday, his best chance of success looks to be when resuming a winning partnership aboard PERFECT TEAM in the Humphreys Handicap (8.05am) over the extended mile on the all-weather surface.
There was no fluke about the combination’s success, when producing a clear-cut victory over the course and distance in October, and in the process beating rivals Fiery Diamond and useful Adefill.
Ricky Yiu’s highly-regarded Adefill is guaranteed to be heavily supported again to reverse that form, especially with James McDonald in the saddle, but he is still closely-matched with his victor, despite a seven-pound weight advantage.
With Perfect Team having shown a distinct liking for the surface with a win and a place from just three runs, he could still have plenty of upside, and is capable of getting Wong back in the headlines again.
POINTERS
Perfect Team (e/w) 8.05am Sha Tin