New kid on the block Chadwick off to a flier
On the day when one of the greats departed, new kid on the block Matthew Chadwick made a flying start to his career, being placed at his first ride and winning at his third on O'Reilly Rally for Tony Cruz.
Chadwick's debut has been the most eagerly awaited of any 10-pound claimer and the 18-year-old didn't disappoint, joining an elite band of apprentices to score on their first day out.
Chadwick has had the good fortune to be allocated to Tony Cruz, who had a vacancy because Marco Chui Kwan-lai recently came out of his time. But while the mood was champagne, Cruz was determined to keep all feet firmly on the ground.
'I'm very pleased for Matthew, he's only been here a week but I'm confident from a number of talks I've had with him that he's got what it takes,' Cruz said. 'I thought O'Reilly Rally could give him a winner first day out and it's come off, but only just.'
O'Reilly Rally was always part of the speed mix, but Chadwick showed race sense beyond his years in taking a steady approach towards the first turn, rather than being part of a three-horse speed duel. That manoeuvre saw Chui posted wide on Pot Of Gold and therefore committed to go forward. Once he did press on, then Chadwick allowed O'Reilly Rally some more rein to amble to the front at a modest tempo.
'I watched the video of Thomas [Yeung Kai-tong] winning on him last start and the boss told me to try and ride him the same way Thomas did,' Chadwick said.
'It was a terrific thrill to get a win at my first Hong Kong meeting, but to be honest I wasn't really sure I had won until the number went up.'
Cruz was a keen observer of his new student and was measured in his assessment, knowing a big boom too early can create problems of another kind for impressionable teenagers.
'On what I saw there today, Matthew still lacks a bit of strength and a bit of polish when riding them out,' Cruz said.
'But that's not a negative. It's something we can work on together and he'll quickly become a stronger rider. The positives are that he showed good race sense and horses obviously want to run for him.'
Chadwick is just back from a six month stretch in Australia, where he was on loan for education and training purposes to Maryann Thexton initially, followed by Craig Bellamy.
The youngster rode four winners at a Lismore meeting in June, and the publicity that came from that stellar day out saw him get an uncommon number of opportunities - 235 in fact - from which he landed 26 winners, a record for a Jockey Club trainee.
Chadwick's name sounds British but he is pure Chinese, born on the mainland to a poor family and adopted by international school principal Christopher Chadwick and his teacher wife, Jennifer.
Chadwick stayed behind after O'Reilly Rally (his final ride for the day) to say goodbye to a riding legend in Felix Coetzee.
'Before he went to Australia, Matthew worked in the jockeys' room for me, organising and cleaning my gear,' Coetzee said. 'I can honestly say I've never, in all my years, had any kid do such a good job as Matthew.
'It's lovely to see him start with a bang like this and I hope he goes right on with it. Being with Tony, he'll get every opportunity.'
