Cruz's rise to ‘living legend' status, through six champion jockey laurels, two trainer titles, countless major wins and his handling of the great Silent Witness, can be tracked from the day he was accepted among the very first cohort of apprentice riders back in 1972; that was the year after the dawn of professional racing at Happy Valley, when Sha Tin Racecourse was but a dream soon to be realised.
Hong Kong's greatest home-grown jockey snared the Cup three times as a rider. He sealed back-to-back wins on Co-Tack (1983 and 1984) but the most famous is perhaps the last, a rousing dead-heat finish in 1995 between the John Moore-trained pair Makarpura Star and Survey King. Cruz rode the former, Greg Childs was aboard the latter.
“It was neck and neck. I went past him halfway down the straight and he came back at me, but I got back and nailed him – I thought I'd won it but it was a dead-heat. Both of them were John's horses and it was a great race,” he recalls.
Cruz hung up his racing saddle shortly after that victory and started out as a trainer in the 1996/97 campaign, but he had to wait 17 seasons for his first success in the race as a handler. He achieved that breakthrough victory with the popular pocket grey California Memory and has since made the race his own, winning six of the last seven editions.
California Memory (2013)
The grey shifted inside, squeezed between runners, and, when Chadwick engaged the afterburners, California Memory sprinted home ahead of his fast-finishing stablemate Willie Cazals.
“California Memory gave us a lot of happiness,” Cruz says. “He was a small horse but he had a big engine; you had to ride him quietly but he had a hell of an acceleration. He loved a firm track and that big heart he had, he showed what he had in the last quarter-mile of his races.
“I like to visit him at Living Legends Farm whenever I go to Australia. He still comes up to me and puts his head on my chest and I hold his two ears – he likes that. It was fantastic to train him.”
Helene Super Star (2015)
Douglas Whyte made the most of a sweet position behind the lead pair, quickened to secure first run off the home turn and battled grittily to hold on in a blanket finish from Dominant, Blazing Speed and Helene Happy Star.
“He's a horse that people forget about because that was his one big win,” Cruz says, “but he had good form before he came here. He had talent, Douglas gave him a nice ride and he was tough that day. He beat Blazing Speed, I remember!”
Pakistan Star (2018)
“He was a horse that really brought us a lot excitement from day one – and a lot of difficulties with his bad habits,” Cruz says of the Hong Kong International Sale graduate. “He remembers places and people and he had his quirks; he was a challenge but we did get the best out of him.
“He's now in Dubai with Doug Watson,” he adds, “I believe he can handle the dirt, that's why the owner sent him to Dubai, and I hope he can do well. I've heard the trainer is very happy with him.”
Exultant (2019)
Best of the rest behind Pakistan Star in 2018 was stablemate Exultant, a young talent who was then still finding his feet on the Hong Kong circuit. One year on, he was the dominant stayer, having landed the Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) and placed an unlucky second to Japan's Win Bright in the Group 1 FWD QEII Cup.
Exultant galloped relentlessly down the home straight under a driving Zac Purton, battling past Pakistan Star to lead with 150m to go and then maintaining his momentum to repel the fast-finishing Rise High.
“He's a real turf galloper, he loves the mile and a half,” Cruz says. “The first year he ran in it, he was only a four-year-old but last year you could see he was stronger, more mature, and he was easily the best horse. He's in good form again this season, he's the champion stayer, so I can see him winning it again.”