Overseas training turns a street dancer to Work Rider I

15/06/2015 09:32

The 23-year-old Cheung Hiu Ming is an energetic and active young man who loved street dance as a school boy. After he graduated from secondary school in 2009, Cheung intended to study a diploma course but once he learnt that the Apprentice Jockeys’ School was recruiting new students he decided to apply for it and hoped that he could make a difference.

“Horse riding requires harmony between your hands and feet. I started street dance when I was just over ten years old and it didn’t take long before I became a skillful dancer. Later I thought that probably it might assist my riding career and therefore I decided to apply for the Racing Trainee Programme,” Cheung recalled.

In his early days of training Cheung thought that fitness training was the most challenging, and once he even wanted to quit. “We had to undergo two-hour fitness training every day, resulting in sore arms and legs, and I felt very painful even when I was just walking. However, after thinking twice I came to the conclusion that I shouldn’t be giving up too lightly, after all it was never easy to have this chance to study in the Apprentice Jockeys’ School. To fight for a better future, I have to be tough and to try my best to overcome any difficulty,” Cheung said.

Cheung passed the two and a half years of professional training with flying colours and after that he was given an opportunity to further his experience and advance his skills in New Zealand.

“In New Zealand I was under the tutelage of the trainers there and I was given the chance to ride in races. I have gained valuable experiences during my stay in New Zealand. Though I didn't become an apprentice jockey, those experiences did help me a lot when developing my career in the racing industry,” Cheung said.

Upon returning to Hong Kong in March, 2014 Cheung joined the Tony Millard stable as Work Rider I. He has an ambition that one day he will be promoted to a stable’s head lad position or assistant trainer.

Apart from learning to be jockeys, Racing Trainees also have the chance to develop their talents in a wide range of posts in the equine field, for instance as work riders, racing management trainees, equestrian assistants or farriers. As such, there are plenty of career choices. Anyone interested in joining the racing industry please visit the the Club’s racing development board website at www.hkjc.com/rdb.