Hong Kong racing has seen many prominent owners enjoy success with one outstanding horse, but few ownership records extend across as many different eras as that of Larry Yung Chi Kin. From the explosive sprinting ability of MR VITALITY in the 1990s to the current exploits of STELLAR EXPRESS, horses carrying Yung’s colours have remained a familiar presence at Sha Tin for more than three decades.
According to Hong Kong Jockey Club ownership records, Yung has been associated with 34 horses in Hong Kong. The list includes champions such as MR VITALITY, ORIENTAL EXPRESS and OLYMPIC EXPRESS, together with later performers including WESTERN EXPRESS, SILVER EXPRESS, BRILLIANT EXPRESS, STELLAR EXPRESS, SUPER EXPRESS and VIOLET EXPRESS.
Unlike ownership traditions built entirely around one fixed prefix, Yung’s horses have carried several different naming themes. However, “EXPRESS” gradually developed into his most recognisable racing identity. Some names suggested direction—EASTERN EXPRESS, WESTERN EXPRESS, NORTHERN EXPRESS, SOUTHERN EXPRESS and CENTRAL EXPRESS—while others conveyed speed, ambition or scale, including OLYMPIC EXPRESS, GOLDEN EXPRESS, LUCKY EXPRESS and STELLAR EXPRESS.
The names may have changed, but the central theme remained constant: movement. Whether travelling from one point of the compass to another or progressing through Hong Kong’s handicap system, the “EXPRESS” horses created a sense that the ownership story was always moving forward.
Before the “EXPRESS” name became firmly established, MR VITALITY emerged as one of Yung’s earliest champions. The Australian-bred gelding, trained by Ivan Allan, compiled an exceptional record of ten wins and one second from only 14 Hong Kong starts. He earned HK$13,328,970 and finished his career with a rating of 130.
MR VITALITY’s record was remarkable not only because of the number of races he won, but also because of how rarely he was defeated. He captured the Chairman’s Prize over 1,200 metres in both 1995 and 1996, establishing himself as one of Hong Kong’s dominant sprinters. His performances during the 1995/96 season earned him the title of Hong Kong Horse of the Year.
He also completed the Hong Kong Speed Series in 1996, a feat that underlined his superiority across the major sprinting contests of that period. For Yung, MR VITALITY provided an early demonstration of what ownership at the highest level could deliver: speed, consistency and championship recognition.
If MR VITALITY established Yung among the owners of elite sprinters, ORIENTAL EXPRESS expanded that reputation across a much wider range of distances.
The Irish-bred gelding, also trained by Ivan Allan, raced 48 times in Hong Kong for seven wins, eight seconds and six thirds. He accumulated HK$29,223,415 in prize money and remained competitive across several seasons, displaying a degree of durability rarely seen among horses competing at the highest level.
ORIENTAL EXPRESS announced himself as a major talent by winning the 1997 Hong Kong Derby over 1,800 metres. That victory gave Yung one of the most sought-after prizes in local racing and established the “EXPRESS” name on one of Hong Kong’s biggest stages.
His career did not end with four-year-old success. In 1998, ORIENTAL EXPRESS captured the Queen Elizabeth II Cup, proving himself against open-age opposition over 2,000 metres. Three years later, he demonstrated his stamina by winning the 2001 Champions & Chater Cup over 2,400 metres.
Few horses possess the versatility to win a Derby over 1,800 metres, an international-level contest over 2,000 metres and a major staying race over 2,400 metres. ORIENTAL EXPRESS achieved all three and also represented Hong Kong overseas, competing in Japan and Singapore. His longevity transformed him from a successful Derby horse into one of the defining runners of Yung’s ownership career.
The strength of Yung’s stable during that period was not limited to one horse. HOUSEMASTER also developed into a leading middle-distance performer. The Irish-bred gelding earned HK$10,959,143 from 26 Hong Kong starts, recording two wins, two seconds and four thirds.
HOUSEMASTER came particularly close to adding another Derby victory to Yung’s record in 2000. He finished second to KEEN WINNER, beaten only half a length after a closely contested finish. Although he missed the trophy, the performance demonstrated that Yung remained a major force in Hong Kong’s premier four-year-old event.
Two years later, OLYMPIC EXPRESS supplied the second Derby triumph.
The British-bred gelding raced only 16 times in Hong Kong, but his relatively brief career produced four wins, two seconds and more than HK$31.1 million in prize money. Like MR VITALITY and ORIENTAL EXPRESS, he was prepared by Ivan Allan.
OLYMPIC EXPRESS won the 2002 Hong Kong Derby over 2,000 metres, confirming his place among the leading members of his generation. The victory came five years after ORIENTAL EXPRESS had taken the same prize, giving Yung two Derby winners within a relatively short period.
His most surprising success arrived later that year in the Hong Kong Mile. Starting at long odds, OLYMPIC EXPRESS defeated ELECTRONIC UNICORN by a neck, completing the 1,600 metres in 1m 34.90s. The result showed that he was not simply a middle-distance horse: he possessed enough speed to defeat specialist milers in an international Group 1 contest.
OLYMPIC EXPRESS added the Hong Kong Gold Cup in 2003, giving him major victories over both 1,600 and 2,000 metres. His combination of Derby success and international Group 1 achievement made him another central figure in the development of the “EXPRESS” racing legacy.
The retirement of Yung’s early champions did not bring the naming tradition to an end. A new generation of “EXPRESS” horses continued to appear, with John Size eventually becoming the trainer most closely associated with the modern phase of the ownership operation.
One of the best of these later runners was WESTERN EXPRESS. The Australian-bred gelding won five of his 20 Hong Kong starts, recorded three seconds and one third, and earned HK$16,646,760. He reached a rating of 124 after progressing rapidly from the handicap classes into elite mile company.
WESTERN EXPRESS twice came close to securing a Group 1 victory. He finished second in the 2017 Hong Kong Mile and again filled the runner-up position in the 2018 Champions Mile, beaten by one length on both occasions. He was also sent to Japan to compete at Group 1 level in Tokyo.
Although he never gained the top-level victory achieved by ORIENTAL EXPRESS and OLYMPIC EXPRESS, his performances showed that the ownership colours could still compete against Hong Kong’s strongest milers many years after the earlier champions had retired.
Other members of the modern team made useful contributions. SILVER EXPRESS won three of his 17 Hong Kong starts and earned HK$5,017,750, while BRILLIANT EXPRESS recorded four wins, four seconds and one third from 20 appearances, accumulating HK$5,568,100. Neither became a Group-level champion, but both kept the established naming tradition visible in Hong Kong’s highly competitive handicap races.
The most important recent representative has been STELLAR EXPRESS. The French-bred gelding, trained by John Size, developed from a consistent handicap sprinter into a Group-race winner during the 2025/26 season.
By the end of that campaign, STELLAR EXPRESS had raced 33 times for five wins, five seconds and four thirds, earning HK$13,109,900. His rating increased from 85 at the beginning of the season to 102, reflecting the considerable progress he made over Sha Tin’s straight 1,000-metre course.
His breakthrough came in the Group 3 Bauhinia Sprint Trophy on 4 January 2026. STELLAR EXPRESS travelled prominently before breaking clear of his rivals, winning the 1,000-metre contest by three lengths in 55.85 seconds. It was the type of dominant sprinting performance that recalled the speed associated with MR VITALITY three decades earlier.
STELLAR EXPRESS’s success represented more than another race victory. It restored Yung’s colours to the Group-race winner’s enclosure and provided a direct link between the champions of the Ivan Allan era and the modern team trained by John Size.
Alongside him, SUPER EXPRESS emerged as another promising representative. The New Zealand-bred gelding completed his first 12 Hong Kong starts with two wins and eight seconds, earning HK$4,779,000. His rating rose from 68 to 78 during the 2025/26 season.
The unusually high number of runner-up finishes showed both his consistency and how often he had come close to adding to his winning total. He finished outside the first two only twice in his opening 12 appearances, suggesting that further improvement could follow with greater experience.
The next member of the line was already waiting in the wings. VIOLET EXPRESS, a New Zealand-bred gelding also trained by Size, arrived in Hong Kong in January 2026. He had not raced locally by the end of the season and held an initial rating of 65, leaving his ability still to be revealed.
From MR VITALITY’s championship sprinting season to the Derby victories of ORIENTAL EXPRESS and OLYMPIC EXPRESS, and from WESTERN EXPRESS’s Group 1 placings to STELLAR EXPRESS’s recent Group 3 breakthrough, Yung’s ownership record has covered almost every major stage of Hong Kong racing.
The story has included sprinters, milers, Derby horses and stayers. Some raced only briefly but achieved immediate success, while others remained in competition for several seasons. Not every “EXPRESS” reached Group level, but every new arrival extended a naming tradition that had already survived numerous changes in horses, trainers and racing generations.
The word “EXPRESS” suggests speed and uninterrupted movement, making it an appropriate symbol for an ownership journey that has rarely stood still. As one leading horse retired, another eventually appeared to carry the colours forward.
With STELLAR EXPRESS competing in the higher sprinting grades, SUPER EXPRESS continuing to develop and VIOLET EXPRESS preparing to begin his career, the story that started with MR VITALITY and ORIENTAL EXPRESS remains unfinished.
More than three decades after Yung’s first champions appeared at Sha Tin, another “EXPRESS” is still preparing to leave the starting stalls.