Bonilla, Davy
- Lethals Lady |
Aged 28, enjoyed his best season yet in 2000 when came
third in the French jockey's championship with 85 winners from 788
rides. His first Group 1 winners arrived this year via Golden Snake
and San Sebastian in the Preis von Europa at Cologne and Prix
du Cadran at Longchamp respectively. English trainer John Dunlop provided
both winners. Unusually for a successful flat jockey, Bonilla began
his career as a flat rider and switched to jumps racing before concentrating
on the flat again in 1999, when he ended the season fifth in the jockey's
lists with 90 wins. |
Coetzee, Felix
- Indigenous |
Aged 43, a former champion jockey in South Africa, has
been associated with some of the great names of the turf - horses,
trainers and owners - in his homeland. He won South Africa's most
important race, the Rothmans July, on three occasions and he has landed
quite a few of the main Hong Kong prizes, too, such as the Centenary
Sprint Cup (HKGr.1) last season on King Of Danes. Coetzee,
now a veteran of the Hong Kong scene, is retained jockey to the Tony
Cruz stable. He spent seven seasons, on and off, with Brian Kan Ping-chee
before moving for one season to David Hill and then on to Cruz. He
is as an outstanding judge of pace, powerful in the finish and his
perfectly rated front-running tactics have won him stacks of races
down through the years. |
Dettori, Frankie
- Grandera |
He was born in Milan on December 15, 1970, the son of
Gianfranco, a former multiple champion jockey in Italy. He joined
Luca Cumani's Newmarket yard as an apprentice in 1985, and rode his
first winner two years later and became Britain's champion apprentice
in 1989. The first of two champion jockey crowns followed a year later.
By the time he made history riding all seven winners on one incredible
day at Ascot in September 1996, he was already firmly positioned as
the top jockey to the Godolphin operation and wave after wave of big
race winners have followed. Sakhee's success in the Prix de
l'Arc de Triomphe last October gave him his 100th Group
1. Fantastic Light's success in the Breeder's Cup Turf three
weeks later made it Group 1 win 101. His record in Hong Kong is rather
good too - he won the Hong Kong Cup in 2000 on Fantastic Light
and the International Jockey's Championship in 1999 and 2001.
He also won the Hong Kong Vase and the QE II Cup in 1996 on Luso
and Overbury respectively. |
Doleuze, Olivier
- Okawango |
He born 19 April 1972, started his career apprenticed
to Criquette Head-Maarek and was the champion apprentice of France
in 1989. After the completion of his apprenticeship, Doleuze
continued to ride for Ms. Head and he is retained as her stable rider.
Doleuze has also ridden with success in Singapore. He has had a total
of 6,379 race rides for 726 winners (11.3%), of which 55 have been
in group races. Doleuze has ridden 13 Group 1 winners including the
1999 French Oaks on Egyptband. International race success came
in the 2001 Singapore Krisflyer Sprint on Iron Mask.
Doleuze was a huge hit during a winter stint in Hong Kong when he
rode 26 winners from 134 rides - an excellent strike-rate of almost
20%. |
Dunn, Dwayne
- Helene Vitality |
Aged 28, was South Australia's dominant jockey before
taking up the offer to ride in Hong Kong last season. A bad fall at
Happy Valley, however, after just a handful of rides put paid to any
initial chances of success. However, he recovered back home and returned
to Hong Kong for the current term and has a very respectable 25 winners
notched up already. |
Fukunaga, Yuichi
- Eishin Preston |
Aged 23, Eishin Preston's rider has emerged as one of
the hottest young properties in Japanese racing. He has partnered
Eishin Preston in all his big race wins and he won the Fuchu
Himba (JpnGr.3) this year also |
Marwing, Weichong
- Olympic Express |
Born April 14 1970, he has won over 1800 races including
six derbies in his native South Africa where was champion jockey in
1996/97. Marwing was also the regular partner of Horse Chestnut,
one of the greats of recent South African racing history. He lit up
the latter part of the 1999/2000 campaign in Hong Kong with 31 wins
from 162 rides - a winning strike-rate of 19%. The following season
he was retained as first jockey by trainer Tony Millard but the partnership
was dissolved midway through the term. However, he was named not long
afterwards as the new jockey for the dual Horse of the Year, Fairy
King Prawn, and he returned to win the Group 1 Chairman's Sprint
Prize on the AP QE II Cup supporting card. Marwing is now a Club Jockey
again and, buoyed by further Group 1 glory on Olympic Express
in the Hong Kong Classic Mile and the Hong Kong Derby, he is challenging
for a first Hong Kong jockey's title. |
Mosse, Gerald
- Rainbow And Gold |
Aged 35, was France's champion apprentice in 1984 when
based with the former Hong Kong trainer, Patrick Biancone. He has
since ridden well over 40 Group 1 winners in Europe but the biggest
success of his career remains the triumph of Saumarez in the
1990 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. He was signed up as the Aga Khan's
retained rider in France in the mid-1990s. He also won the Hong Kong
Derby for the second time on Industrial Pioneer in 2001. His
biggest money-spinning mount in Hong Kong, however, has been Jim
And Tonic on whom he won the Hong Kong Bowl, Hong Kong Cup and
AP QE II Cup. |
Sheehan, Justin
- Universal Prince |
Aged 29, from Queensland, rode - and won - his first
race aged 14. He lost his claim by the time he was 18 and he has well
over 1000 career winners to his name. His first Group 1 win was the
AJC Oaks in 1996 and the smart miler Adam landed him the Group
1 George Main Stakes in 2000. Universal Prince, however, is
the best horse he has ridden. Together the pair have won four Group
1s, including last year's AJC Australian Derby. |
Shii, Hirofumi
- Agnes Digital |
Aged 28, was first licensed 10 years ago and he is currently
the leading rider in Kansai in the west of Japan with 90 winners to
his credit and approaching 700 career wins. Last season he guided
over 100 winners home. In October he rode Agnes Digital to
victory in the Tenno Sho (JpnGr.1). |
Whyte, Douglas
- Cheers Hong Kong |
Aged 30, from Durban, South Africa, is in his sixth
season riding in Hong Kong. After a couple of near misses, he finally
became champion last season by a wide margin and he leads the current
jockey's premiership. Overall he has ridden over 350 winners here
including the Hong Kong Gold Cup and Hong Kong Vase on Indigenous,
the AP QE II Cup and Chairman's Prize on Oriental Express and
the Centenary Cup on Best Of The Best. One of the proudest
moments in his career thus far arrived when London News made
history by becoming the first South African-trained horse to win an
overseas Group race in this very event in 1997. |
Williams, Craig
- Idol |
Aged 24, is from a racing family in Victoria,
Australia where he rode his first winner aged 16. He won his first
Group 1 winner, the Australasian Oaks, shortly before departing for
a very successful spell in England in May 2000 when he teamed up with
trainer Mick Channon to win Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket and
the Prix de la Salamandre at Longchamp. He then completed a solid
stint in Hong Kong that earned him nine winners and runner-up in the
Hong Kong Derby 2001 on Momentum. This is his second
spell in Hong Kong and he has registered two winners so far this season. |
Yim, Simon H K
- Precision |
Aged 28, was twice Hong Kong's champion apprentice in
the mid-1990s while attached to the Patrick Biancone stable. He rode
25 winners on each occasion. Yim has ridden over 90 career winners
in Hong Kong to date, not counting a handful of successes in England.
He has 11 winners on the board for the current campaign. |
