FWD Champions Day has been the scene of some of Vincent Ho Chak-yiu’s most treasured racing memories and ahead of Sunday’s showcase at Sha Tin, he finds himself poised to embed himself even further into the annals of the second biggest race day on the Hong Kong calendar.

Ho’s first Group One victory came aboard Southern Legend in the Champions Mile in 2020. In 2021, he became the first home-grown jockey to ride two Group One winners in a day by snaring another Champions Mile, this time with Golden Sixty, and the QE II Cup (2,000m) with Japanese darling Loves Only You.

Since then he has added another Champions Mile to his resume, again with Golden Sixty, and if Ho can pilot the two-time Horse of the Year to more success on Sunday, the seven-year-old will become the first galloper to win the race in three consecutive years.

For Ho, a win will mean tasting Champions Mile glory for a fourth consecutive year and see him break his deadlock with Brett Prebble for the most wins in the contest.

“I don’t care too much about the numbers. It’s a horse race, and I take each race at a time. Of course, it’s an honour to be involved in these Group Ones, so I’ll focus on enjoying them,” Ho said.

“That was a special day,” he remembers of his swashbuckling success aboard Loves Only You. “Of course, my first Group One came with Southern Legend, and Golden Sixty is very special to me. To have a Japanese horse again in the QE II is very exciting.”

That Japanese horse is Danon The Kid, a galloper who finished second to only Romantic Warrior in December’s Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m).

“His form is better than December. He looks good, and he feels good. I think he actually has a chance. If the mare [Geraldina] is too hot and can’t handle it, I think we have a chance,” Ho said.

“Of course, Romantic Warrior is a tough one, and Dubai Honour is in good form, but if Romantic Warrior is not 100 per cent like he was in December, I think we have a chance.”

But back to Golden Sixty, a horse with more wins (24) and more prize money (HK$136 million) than any other Hong Kong-trained horse in history.

Ho stopped short of advising fans to enjoy the eight-time Group One winner while he lasts, but was candid about the fact that things this good do not last forever, most especially in racing.

Spangle to lead at all costs in Champions Mile: ‘Tony has made it very clear’

“He feels great. I’m very happy with him. If you can keep the horses happy and healthy, they can race for a long time. We take our time with Golden Sixty and just try to keep him as healthy and happy as possible,” Ho said.

“We’ve talked about retirement, but not this season. We’ll retire him when he’s still extremely competitive, not when he’s not competitive any more. We want to do it the right way. He has done so much, so we don’t need anything else.”