A product of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School, Derek Leung honed his skills as a young rider in New Zealand under the tutelage of trainer Lance O’Sullivan. On his return to Hong Kong, he was indentured to Paul O’Sullivan’s stable and reached the graduation benchmark when he rode his 70th winner, Star Of Fame, on 1 June, 2011. Leung amassed 37 wins in the 2017/18 season, enough to earn a second consecutive Tony Cruz Award as the leading homegrown rider. That season also saw Leung register a first Group 1 success aboard subsequent Horse of the Year Beauty Generation in the 2017 Hong Kong Mile. He was also in the plate for Group 2 and Group 3 wins on the gelding. Leung achieved a personal best of 48 wins during the 2021/22 season, highlighted by a G2 Jockey Club Cup success with Reliable Team. He reached his 400th Hong Kong win at Happy Valley in 2022. In the 2023/24 season, he claimed his second Group 1 victory aboard Victor The Winner in the Centenary Sprint Cup. He also partnered the same horse to a gallant third in Japan’s Takamatsunomiya Kinen. He closed out the 2024/25 season with 36 wins, level with Matthew Poon in the race for the Tony Cruz Award but narrowly denied on countback.
