Smiling apprentice Ellis Wong is quickly becoming a punter’s pin-up boy in South Australia continuing to impress with his silky riding skills.
The 22-year-old Hong Kong rider with an infectious smile which got bigger with every winner yesterday, stole the limelight again at Gawler, saluting the judge on Wonderwoman ($2.30), Getoutoftheway ($4.60), Secret War ($2.80) and Metro Legend ($3.50), celebrating his first career quartet in style.
He walked into the Gawler jockey’s room on Saturday morning with seven good rides and ended the day with four winners, a second,,a fourth and a fifth placing.
He gave every horse he rode every opportunity to win, displaying his all-around ability with a winning range between 1200m to 1700m.
Wong has now ridden six metropolitan winners in the last two weeks after a winning double last weekend at Murray Bridge on Frankel Star ($3.80) and Daskulya $16).
He has now booted home 13 city winners this season to be eighth behind Jake Toeroek (23) and Irishman Baren Vorster (19).
His strike rate is almost identical to Vorster’s.
Wong kicked off the Gawler meeting with an all-way win on the sensationally backed Wonderwoman ($3.60 into $2.15) rating the favourite beautiful in front.
But it was his ride on Getoutoftheway that drew plaudits from punters.
Wong settle the Sue Nolan trained gelding back at the rear of the field and opted to ride the eight-year-old for luck as the field wheeled for home.
It proved a winning tactic as rivals literally “got out of the way” presenting him with a saloon passage along the rails.
Getoutoftheway never went around a horse and hit the lead inside the final 100m, coming away under Wong’s urging to record his 12th career win.
Gawler Race 5 Race Replay – 7/1/23
Horse: Getoutoftheway | Jockey: Ellis Wong | Trainer: Ms Sue Nolan
Punters, their pockets full of cash, then rode Wong’s hot streak, as he made it a treble on Secret War, crunching his odds in from $7.50 into $2.80 with the top bookmakers.
Wong delivered another well-judged front-running ride.
He then iced his best day on a race track winning on Wonderwoman’s stablemate Metro Legend with another peach of a ride, giving trainer Aaron Bain his first metropolitan double after only getting his trainer’s licence a year ago.
A beaming Wong, who has ridden Metro Legend 6 times for two wins and three placings, said the horse was “very special” to him.
He added he loved riding at his home track Gawler where he boasts a 25 percent winning record.
Of his 74 wins since coming to Australia in February 2021, 24 have been at either Murray Bridge (13) or Gawler (11).
“I had some very nice rides today,” said the two-kilogram claiming hoop.
“I love riding here at Gawler.
“I just want to keep improving and learning.”
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