Tony Cruz

Who is Tony Cruz?

When it comes to Hong Kong horse racing, Tony Cruz is the ultimate living legend. He is the most famous personality in the sport’s history there—so much so that he hasn’t been able to use the city’s excellent public transport for many years.

He was a six-time champion jockey at home and a Classic winner in Europe, and has been Hong Kong’s champion trainer on two occasions. He trained Hong Kong’s most famous horse, the great Silent Witness, and also prepared famous gallopers such as Bullish Luck, California Memory, Exultant, Peniaphobia, Time Warp and California Spangle.

What are Tony Cruz’s origins?

Cruz is of Macanese/Chinese heritage and is the second son of the late Johnny Cruz, a prominent jockey in Hong Kong before the city’s racing turned professional in 1972. His older brother, Derek, was also a rider who in turn became a trainer, and was most famous for his handling of the high-class sprinter Joy And Fun.

Cruz was among the very first intake of Hong Kong’s apprentice school and was a rapid sensation. He quickly established himself as Hong Kong’s best homegrown jockey and proved his ability as an all-time great, securing multiple championships in the city as well as numerous big races, notably in tandem with the champion Co-Tack.

He was the first local jockey to make his name overseas: summers in France and England brought connections to some of the world’s most prominent owners, notably the Aga Khan, Mahmoud Fustok and Queen Elizabeth II. His major wins abroad included the Prix de Diane on Lady In Silver and the Yorkshire Oaks on Magnificent Style, but he was most famous for his partnership with the great mare Triptych on whom he won the Champion Stakes twice, Irish Champion Stakes, Coronation Cup and Prix Ganay.

He retired from race riding in 1995 and the following year was granted a licence to train in Hong Kong.

What is Tony Cruz’s style of training?

If a Cruz horse is fit and healthy and there’s a race for it in the programme, it’ll race. He likes to see his white-bridled runners race prominently, and they will often lead, but he is not a one-trick handler either. In fact, Cruz has a good tactical mind, as he showed so often in his jockey days. He also has a natural affinity with animals and connects with his horses, observing their behaviour, learning their characters and attempting to understand what makes them tick.

Which horse is the best Tony Cruz has trained?

No contest: Silent Witness. That’s a serious compliment to the greatness of the horse because Cruz has trained some really good ones over the years. But Silent Witness was a rarity, and Cruz guided Hong Kong’s most famous champion to win his first 17 races. The brilliant sprinter was also one of the first Hong Kong horses to win a major race offshore when he took the 2005 Sprinters Stakes in Japan.

Under Cruz’s handling, Silent Witness was the first Hong Kong horse to grab international headlines thanks to his incredible streak. At home, the horse also provided uplift to the city’s racing fans following the devastating effects of the SARS outbreak in 2003. His top-level wins in Hong Kong earned him the Horse of the Year title twice, and he was also the world’s top ranked sprinter.

What is Tony Cruz’s greatest achievement?

There are lot to sift through, including two champion trainer titles, but Tony Criz’s greatest achievement could be his handling of the mercurial Pakistan Star. The gelding was a sensation when he stormed from a long-way last to win on his racecourse debut, and the following season ran second in the Hong Kong Derby behind the brilliant Rapper Dragon.

Pakistan Star’s final race that season saw him stop and tail off when the odds-on favourite. He had shown quirkiness before he ever raced. Before the Hong Kong International Sale breeze-up, he took exception to entering the racecourse and then took an age to consent to break into a trot and move on. Cruz always said the horse was not a problem around the stables and was simply a shy horse

The strapping gelding then missed the first part of the following season due to injury and returned in the early part of 2018 with three disappointing defeats.

Then came the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and his finest hour. Pakistan Star looked  a picture, Cruz had him tuned physically and in a good spot mentally. He blitzed his rivals by five lengths under William Buick as the crowd raised the Sha Tin roof. A few weeks later, Pakistan Star backed up with a victory in the G1 Champions & Chater Cup.

That was to be the horse’s last win, but for Cruz to have managed to get two Group 1 wins from the brilliantly talented but seriously flawed character was a great testament to his abilities.

Did you know?

Tony Cruz’s daughter Antonia and his old rival John Moore’s son George are partners. In 2023 Antonia and George’s son Enzo Cruz-Moore was born, bringing together the two most important dynasties in Hong Kong racing and making Cruz and Moore grandfathers.