A beaming Ellis Wong Chi-wang soaked up the praise from his boss Caspar Fownes after landing his first Hong Kong winner with just his sixth ride at Sha Tin on Saturday.

Not even a week after making his debut in the city, Hong Kong’s newest apprentice produced a cool steer aboard Fownes’ Storm Legend in the second section of the Class Four Friendship Bridge Handicap (1,400m) to take the first step in what he hopes is a long and fruitful Hong Kong career.

“It’s really exciting to get my first winner, especially to win for my boss. I ride this horse every morning and it’s very exciting to win with this horse,” said Wong, adding his first couple of weeks working with Fownes have gone well.

“He’s a really lovely person, he’s funny, and he works really hard. He’s really patient, and I’m enjoying it. I’m trying my best to do well.”

Wong travelled at the back of the field on Storm Legend before directing the five-year-old into clear air straightening for home and unleashing him down the outside of the rain-affected track.

“It’s a good result for the boy. He’s had only a handful of starts, and to get a winner in Hong Kong – the toughest place in the world, I’d say, to be racing – it’s a start. He’s got a long way to go, but we’ll just try to bring him along slowly, and hopefully, he’ll make it,” Fownes said.

“It’s nice he put the stick away. He didn’t lose it. He’s got a calm head on him, and that might make him into a jockey because he doesn’t panic – he’s a bit of a dude that way.”

Storm Legend finished two and a half lengths clear of runner-up Speed Fay Fay, notching his first Hong Kong win at start 25 after two pre-import successes in Ireland.

“This horse had won HK$2.2 million without winning a race this season. He’s been quite frustrating and quite disappointing, to tell you the truth. I just thought ‘10 pounds off, and when the rain came, if he can’t win today, something serious is up’,” Fownes said.

“Everything just fell into place. I said to the kid, ‘just take him back, switch him off and get him to the outside’ and he’s absolutely done that a treat. The horse has quickened up really nicely and the conditions played really nicely into our hands.”

For Wong, it was his 89th career victory after he saluted 88 times while cutting his teeth in South Australia, and it came hot on the heels of the 22-year-old’s near miss aboard runner-up Mark The Moment at Sha Tin on Wednesday.

Fownes moved to 43 wins for the campaign and remained in sixth position in the trainers’ premiership, 18 victories behind comfortable leader John Size with 18 meetings of the 2022-23 season remaining.