Trainer Profile

Balding, Andrew / Mile - Dream Eater
Aged 37, the son of legendary English trainer Ian who prepared Mill Reef one of the greatest European horses of the last century. Balding Jr. was an amateur rider and after four years of assisting his father he took over at Kingsclere Stables in January 2003. He has made a fine start to his new career winning a Classic, the Oaks with Casual Look, as well as posting an international Gr.1 treble with Phoenix Reach in the Canadian International, CX Hong Kong Vase and the Dubai Sheema Classic.
Barande-Barbe, Corine / Cup - Cirrus des Aigles
Aged 51, she took out her licence in 1991 and is based at Chantilly. The best she has trained remains Carling, winner of the Gr.1 French Oaks and Prix Vermeille but others of note have been Red Roses Story, Perfect Vintage, Jeopardy, and in 2009 her CXHK Vase runner, Cirrus Des Aigles. She sends Cirrus Des Aigles for a tilt at the Cup this year, following his attempt at the Japan Cup.
Botti, Endo / Vase - Jakkalberry
Aged 38, Endo Botti is a member of Italy’s famous racing family. His father is Giuseppe Botti, who is the brother of the great Alduino, champion trainer of Italy more than 30 times. His cousin is Marco, now training at Newmarket. Endo had a fine career as a jockey partnering more than 1600 winners and was champion jockey of Italy twice. He rode Electrocutionist when that outstanding horse won the G1 Gran Premio di Milano and also Ramonti in all his races before the CXHK Cup winner was sold to Godolphin. He now trains 50 horses at his yard near Pisa.
Chang, Michael / Mile - Good Ba Ba
Celebrates his 49th birthday on 2 December this year. Chang’s father was a tailor from Macau who became a mafoo in the 1960s simply to get accommodation for his family. Michael, brought up at the racecourse, fell for horses, but failed to secure a job even as a work rider until his friend Brian Rouse found one for him at Epsom in England. Returning to Hong Kong in the late 1980s after a tough few years Chang worked his way through the ranks until becoming assistant to Alex Wong, then working for David Hayes and as assistant trainer to Sean Woods before taking out a full licence in the 2005/06 season. His best young horse is Amigo who has already graduated to Group class and who he hopes will develop even further after a close season rest. But the most famous horse in his string is triple G1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile winner Good Ba Ba whose fourth trainer he became when that champion was transferred to his care in May 2010. Had trained a total of 84 winners by the end of 2009/10 of which 23 came in that season, his best to date.
Clement, Christophe / Vase - Winchester
Christophe’s father, Miguel, was a leading trainer in France. The young Clement expanded his racing knowledge by working in succession for exemplary mentors Alec Head in France, Shug McGaughey in the US and Luca Cumani in Britain. He set up as a trainer in the USA in 1991 and established a reputation immediately when his very first runner, the appropriately named Spectaculaire won at Belmont. Since then he has established a huge reputation in America, particularly with turf horses, many of them imports from his native land. He has trained the winners of 22 G1s and his trainees have collected over US$60 million in prize money. He was leading trainer at the Keeneland spring meeting of 2010 and prepared Gio Ponti to win two Eclipse awards.
Collet, Robert / Mile - Royal Bench
Aged 62, Collet has been training since his mid 20s and he became one of the first European winners of a Breeders’ Cup when Last Tycoon won the Breeders' Cup Mile in 1986. His international hunger was not sated and a year later he won the Japan Cup with Le Glorieux and the Canadian International with River Memories among others. He is known for his willingness to race his horses frequently and habitually features in the top half dozen of French trainers at the end of each campaign.
Collet, Rodolphe / Mile - Sahpresa
Rodolphe Collet, now in his 40s, is the son of Robert Collet. Renowned for his sense of humour he trains in Chantilly where his success has come mostly with handicappers. Sahpresa is so far by some way the best horse he has trained.
Cruz, Derek / Sprint - Cerise Cherry, Joy And Fun
Born 23 May 1955, was licensed as a trainer in 1991 after his riding career numbered just two winners between 1979 and 1981. The early highlight of his training career came in December 2005 when Natural Blitz shocked most observers by snatching the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint for a first Gr.1 triumph. Other Group race winners included Wind Dancer and Solid Contact. 2009/10 was something of a breakthrough season for Cruz as he first prepared Good Ba Ba, who had been transferred to him from the stable of Andreas Schutz, to win a record third successive Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile, then won the inaugural running of the G3 Al Quoz Sprint at the Dubai World Cup meeting at Meydan with Joy And Fun. Cruz has trained a total of 421 winners as at 29 November.
Cruz, Tony / Mile - Beauty Flash; Cup - Super Pistachio
Born 24 December 1956, six times Hong Kong's champion jockey and winner of 946 winners in the saddle. He first landed the HK trainer's title in 1999/2000 and regained it in 2005, setting a new record for a season’s winners (91) and earnings (HK$113m) in the process. His most famous horses have been Silent Witness the dual CXHK Sprint and nine-time Gr.1 winner, and Bullish Luck, five-times a Gr.1 winner and winner of the G1 Yasuda Kinen in Japan. Lucky Owners' double in the HK Mile and MBHK Derby and Helene Mascot's Derby victory also stand out. He has trained a total of 744 winners in Hong Kong as at 29 November.
Dunlop, Edward / Cup - Snow Fairy
Etonian Ed Dunlop is a son of champion trainer John Dunlop and took out his trainer's licence in 1994. Ta Rib was his first Classic winner in the 1996 French 1000 Guineas and Iktamal his first Gr.1 scorer in Britain later that year. Won the Irish Oaks in 2001 with Lailani and the same race in 2004 with Ouija Board (after she won The Oaks at Epsom and before she won the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf). Ouija Board, went on to be voted European Horse of the Year in 2004 and to win the CXHK Vase in decisive fashion in 2005. This year Snow Fairy has won three G1s for him: The Oaks, the Irish Oaks and in Japan the Queen Elizabeth II Commemorative Cup.
Ferraris, David / Mile - Chater Way
Born 18 August 1963, son of champion South African trainer, Ormonde, Ferraris, began training in 1995. He won the South African trainers' title on four occasions, netting 25 Gr.1 victories in well over 1000 wins, with the champions Classic Flag and Celtic Grove his most outstanding performers. He moved to HK in 2003/04. Ferraris will always be associated with six-time Gr.1 winner, Vengeance Of Rain, whose victory in the 2007 Dubai Sheema Classic cracked the top ten of the all-time stakes earners. Vengeance of Rain went on to become the greatest prize money winner in Hong Kong history until his earnings record was broken in 2010 by his old rival Viva Pataca. By 29 November 2010 he had trained 239 winners overall of which 20 had come last season.
Fownes, Caspar / Sprint - Green Birdie, Lucky Nine; Mile - Thumbs Up, Young Elite; Cup - Super Satin
Born 12 August 1967, he assisted his trainer father Lawrie for several seasons before taking over the mantle in 2003/04. Eclipsed his father's best season stats in his rookie year with 44 winners and in 2006/07 he won his first trainers' premiership. His most famous victory that year was with The Duke in the G1 CXHK Mile of 2006. He has a particularly good strike-rate with his runners at Happy Valley where on 20 June 2010 he broke the modern day record by sending out six winners in a single day. Won second premiership in 2008/09 and second in the table in 2009/10, the season in which he enjoyed his first HKG1 Mercedes Benz Hong Kong Derby success with Super Satin and followed up with victory for Green Birdie in the G1 KrisFlyer Sprint in Singapore. He trained 66 winners in 2009/10 season and has trained a total of 403 winners in Hong Kong as at 29 November.
Given, James / Vase - Indian Days
James Given is a vet who began his career as Assistant Trainer to Mark Johnston. He won a scholarship to Dubai to study training methods and set up in his own right in 1998. His first Group winner came in 2001/02 when Jessica’s Dream won G3s in Ireland and Italy. He also won the G2 Flying Childers with Wunders Dream and has been successful in many big handicaps with such popular horses as I Cried For You, Hugs Dancer. Trick Or Treat won five in a row and was another G3 winner as was Lady Gloria in 2008. In 2010 Indian Days, who has shown consistent improvement throughout his career, won the valuable G2 Bosphorus Cup at Veliefendi, Istanbul.
Hannon, Richard / Mile - Paco Boy
Now aged 65, the son of a trainer, Hannon was first licensed in 1970. He was Champion Trainer of Britain in 1992 and won the title again this year. He is noted for his prolific handling of two-year-olds and a strike-rate that has resulted in at least a century of winners from his Wiltshire base almost every season for the last 20 years. He has trained the winners of more than 30 G1 races and his three Classic winners have all been in the 2000 Guineas – Mon Fils in (1973), Don't Forget Me (1987) and Tirol (1990) who completed the Guineas double in England and Ireland. Paco Boy, three times a G1 winner in his own right has been consistently the closest pursuer of the great mare Goldikova over the last two years, and in 2010 the G1 winning Canford Cliffs was champion three year old miler of Europe.
Head, Frederic / Mile - Rajsaman
Aged 63, one of the greatest jockeys in French racing history, Freddie Head was champion jockey six times and won the Prix De l'Arc de Triomphe on four occasions. He retired in 1997 and was perhaps best known in the latter stages of his career for his association with the brilliant mare Miesque, twice heroine of the Breeders' Cup Mile. His father Alec was a successful trainer, as is his sister, Criquette. He had an amazing 2008, winning nine Gr.1 races, including three apiece for his champion sprinter Marchand D’Or, and Breeders’ Cup Mile heroine, Goldikova. It is Goldikova who has won him most fame in recent years as the winner of a record number of G1s in Europe and the first and only horse to win three Breeders’ Cup races in succession, a record she will be aiming to improve in 2011.
Hills, Barry / Vase - Redwood
Now one of the doyens of British racehorse trainers, 73-year-old Barry Hills then a member of stable staff after a period as an apprentice jockey, famously raised the money to set up as a trainer with a massive gamble on Frankincense who won the Lincolnshire Handicap in the 1960s. Since then based in Lambourn, often known as ‘The Valley of the Racehorse’ he has sent out the winners of more than 2700 races including the winners of the Arc (Rheingold), ten Classics and many other G1s. Since 1969 he has trained at South Bank Stables in Lambourn, with a four year break during which he trained for Robert Sangster at Manton. He has established a racing dynasty as his five sons are all involved in the sport, three as trainers and identical twins Richard and Michael as top class jockeys.
Ho, Peter / Vase - Mr Medici; Cup - Packing Winner
Born 6 July 1960, Ho graduated from the ranks of assistant trainer to take out his own licence in 1997/98. His biggest success arrived when he sent out Packing Winner to claim the Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup in 2008. His best horse since has been HKG3 Queen Mother Cup winner Mr Medici whom he has improved from a rating of 88 when the horse arrived from Ireland to one of 126. In 2010 Mr Medici added the HKG1 Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup to his record beating Derby runner-up Super Pistachio and Viva Pataca to earn himself the Champion Stayer title. Ho finished 2009/10 with a season’s total of 29 winners and has trained an overall total of 340 winners as at 29 November.
Hori, Noriyuki / Vase - Jaguar Mail
Aged 42, Hori has been licensed to train since 2002 and since then he had racked up 183 JRA wins with 33 of those arriving from 1 Jan to 29 Nov of this year. Achieved his first G1 victory when sprinter Kinshasa no Kiseki took the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen in March this year, followed by Jaguar Mail G1 success in the Spring Tenno Sho in May 2010.
Houdalakis, Lucky / Sprint - J J The Jet Plane
Affectionately nicknamed “Lucky”, Houdalakis, 47, was brought to South Africa at the age of six months when his family emigrated from Egypt. He is however of Greek descent. He has trained at various locations in South Africa, including Natal, Cape Town and Johannesburg and rode in Macau for three years. His original ambition was to be a top jockey, and he enjoyed a successful riding career until it was ended by a serious accident in 2003. Supported by his friend Coenie Strydom and his father in law Trevour Lange he re-launched instead as a trainer in 2006 and has been extremely successful since going from six horses to over 90 in 2010. South African champion sprinter JJ The Jet Plane whose career he rebuilt with two G1 victories after the horse had a relatively unproductive season in England is the best he has trained so far.
Jarvis, Michael / Cup - Sri Putra
Aged 72, a former jumps jockey, first took out his training licence 1968 and now trains a string of around 100 horses at Newmarket. Has won a host of Gr.1 races throughout Europe and possibly his greatest triumph came in 1989, when he saddled Carroll House to win the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Holding Court won him the French Derby in 2000 and Ameerat in the 1000 Guineas was his first British Classic winner in 2001. Rakti was, he said, "probably the most talented" horse of all, winning him four Gr.1s.