Over a career lasting more than half a century, Tony Cruz has become one of Hong Kong horse racing’s most accomplished figures twice, first as a jockey and then as a trainer.

He started out as an apprentice jockey in 1972 aged just 14, joining the newly formed Hong Kong Jockey Club Apprentice Jockeys’ School’s first ever intake. He went on to notch up his first win at Happy Valley Racecourse at the age of 17, kicking off an illustrious career in the saddle that saw him take off the champion jockey title six times between the 1978-79 and 1994-95 seasons. In the process, he set what was then a record of 946 race wins, including the Hong Kong Derby four times. He also raced extensively in the UK and France during the 1980s.

After retiring, he became a trainer in 1996, and again rewrote the record books. He was the champion trainer in the 1999-2000 season and again in 2004-05 seasons, setting what were then new highs of 91 winners and HK$113m in earnings. In his career to date, he has chalked up more than 1,400 wins to date, becoming particularly known for training some legendary horses, including Silent Witness, the world’s top sprinter for three years, and Exultant, Hong Kong’s third highest prize winner ever.

He has racing pedigree in his family: his father, Johnny da Cruz, was also a well-known jockey, during Hong Kong’s amateur racing era. Tony is married to Paulene, with whom he has two children, Sean and Antonia.