Tony Cruz is a son of Johnny Cruz, a renowned rider from Hong Kong’s amateur era. He was among the first intake of apprentices to The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School when that facility opened in 1972. Cruz started his riding career in the 1973/74 season. He went on to be Hong Kong Champion Jockey six times and rode 946 winners. Cruz also made his name at Group 1 level in Europe and notably partnered great race mare Triptych to a string of top-line successes in the Champion Stakes, Irish Champion Stakes, Coronation Cup and Prix Ganay. He was granted a Hong Kong trainer’s licence in 1996 and first landed the trainers’ title in 1999/00. He regained the crown in 2005, setting a then record for a season’s winners (91) and earnings (HK$113m) in the process. He most famously trained Hong Kong champion Silent Witness to win 17 consecutive races before the galloper tasted defeat at the hands of stablemate Bullish Luck in the 2005 Champions Mile, while Exultant, another of his recent stable stars, retired at the conclusion of the 2020/21 season with HK$83.49 million banked as one of Hong Kong’s highest money earners in history. Cruz saddled his 1,500th winner in 2024 when Beauty Joy won the G2 Chairman’s Trophy. His most recent standout performer, California Spangle, won the 2024 Al Quoz Sprint in Dubai as well as two other Group 1 races in Hong Kong for career earnings of HK$83.79 million before retirement. In 2024/25, Cruz reached a career milestone of a combined 2,500 Hong Kong wins as a jockey and trainer.
