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Tony Cruz
Age: 67
Background:
Tony Cruz is a son of Johnny Cruz, a renowned rider from Hong Kong’s amateur era. He was among the first intake of apprentices to The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School when that facility opened in 1972. Cruz started his riding career in the 1973/74 season. He went on to be Hong Kong Champion Jockey six times and rode 946 winners. Cruz also made his name at Group 1 level in Europe and notably partnered great race mare Triptych to a string of top-line successes. He was granted a Hong Kong trainer’s licence in 1996 and first landed the trainers’ title in 1999/00. He regained the crown in 2005, setting a then record for a season’s winners (91) and earnings (HK$113m) in the process. He most famously trained the great Hong Kong champion Silent Witness to win 17 consecutive races before the galloper tasted defeat at the hands of stablemate Bullish Luck in the 2005 Champions Mile, while Exultant, his stable star of recent times, retired at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season with HK$83.491 million banked as one of Hong Kong’s highest money earners in history. Cruz saddled his 1,500th winner in April, 2024, when Beauty Joy won the G2 Chairman’s Trophy. He also captured a famous success with California Spangle in the 2024 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai.
Achievements:
Hong Kong Champion Jockey (1978/79, 1980/81, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86 & 1994/95); Hong Kong Champion Trainer (1999/00 & 2004/05).
Notable Wins Include:
Hong Kong Derby (2004 Lucky Owners, 2008 Helene Mascot), Hong Kong Cup (2011 & 2012 California Memory, 2017 Time Warp), Hong Kong Mile (2003 Lucky Owners, 2010 Beauty Flash, 2016 Beauty Only, 2022 California Spangle), Hong Kong Sprint (2003 & 2004 Silent Witness, 2015 Peniaphobia), Hong Kong Vase (2018 Exultant), Al Quoz Sprint (2024 California Spangle), Champions Mile (2005 & 2006 Bullish Luck), QEII Cup (2015 Blazing Speed, 2018 Pakistan Star, 2020 Exultant), Chairman’s Sprint Prize (2004 & 2005 Silent Witness), Hong Kong Gold Cup (2004 Bullish Luck, 2005 Perfect Partner, 2011 California Memory, 2018 & 2020 Time Warp, 2019 Exultant), Centenary Sprint Cup (2001 King Of Danes, 2004 & 2005 Silent Witness, 2015 & 2017 Peniaphobia), Stewards’ Cup (2005 Bullish Luck, 2006 Russian Pearl, 2011 Beauty Flash, 2014 Blazing Speed), Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (2005 Silent Witness, 2009 Egyptian Ra, 2011 Beauty Flash, 2024 California Spangle), Champions & Chater Cup (2013 California Memory, 2014 & 2016 Blazing Speed, 2015 Helene Super Star, 2018 Pakistan Star, 2019 & 2020 Exultant), Hong Kong Classic Cup (2022 California Spangle), Sprinters Stakes (2005 Silent Witness), Yasuda Kinen (2006 Bullish Luck).
Hong Kong Career Wins (at start of 2024/25 season):
1,520 (win strike rate: 10.3%).

24/25 Season         Up to Race Meeting of 27/11/2024
Stakes won : $22,594,425 No. of Wins : 14 Total Runners : 148
No. of Wins in past 10 race days : 10 No. of 2nds : 12 Win % : 9.46%
No. of 3rds : 11
No. of 4ths : 15

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