Horse racing news: Hollie Doyle booked for seven rides at Happy Valley as Hong Kong stint begins
Hollie Doyle will begin her eight-week riding stint in Hong Kong at Happy Valley on Wednesday, with the leading British rider booked for seven rides on the card.
Change of scenery excites Doyle
Doyle, who touched down in Hong Kong on Sunday, said: “I’m looking forward to the opportunity, obviously it’s a great honour to have been asked by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“The hardest thing will be getting on the right rides. We’ve seen how hard it has been for David [Probert] and Richard [Kingscote], so I do realise how hard it will be.
“I’ve been to Hong Kong a few times now and I’ve been lucky to walk away with a few winners over the last few years, so I hope that counts [for something] but I’m not taking anything for granted.
“Fingers crossed I can have a bit of luck.
“I’m really looking forward to no travelling for a few weeks – obviously in England it’s relentless, but being based at Sha Tin and Happy Valley there will be hardly any travelling.
“I’m looking forward to learning the new system and sharpening up my riding. You can never stop learning, so I’m always open to doing new things.”
A solid Hong Kong record
Doyle will first be aboard the Frankie Lor–trained Ever Smart in the Niigata Handicap, due off at 11.10am UK time, and then partner Roman Crown – a son of Mehmas formerly trained by Eve Johnson Houghton – in division one of the Kyoto Handicap (11:40pm) for trainer Pierre Ng.
Another Lor-trained runner Run Run Smart, who lines up in the Japan Racing Association Trophy (12:40pm), will be familiar to Doyle as she partnered the son of Dandy Man to success in a Chester novice in 2024 when trained in the UK by Adrian Keatley.
Doyle will also partner Lightning Arrow (12:10pm) for Pierre Ng, Inno Century (1:45pm) for Chris So, Douglas Whyte’s Young Arrow (2:15pm), and the Ricky Yiu–trained Victory Sky (2:45pm).
Her current record at Happy Valley stands at four winners and five placings from 40 rides, earning HK$1,173,825 (approx. £115,000) in the process.
To date, Doyle has taken a total of 49 rides in Hong Kong, recording five wins.
Doyle has participated in the last five LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championships at Happy Valley, finishing joint-second on two occasions in 2021 and 2024.
She has also ridden at Sha Tin’s LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and is set to be in action at this year’s meeting (14 December) with her licence to ride in Hong Kong running until 23 December 2025.
Racing in Hong Kong continues on Wednesday 5 November with a nine-race card at Happy Valley, beginning at 10:40pm UK time.
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