Trainer happy to continue family Legacy with long-awaited win

By Michael Cox 

Trainer Chris So Wai-ying praised the patience of owners Nazir Begum Din and Kareem Din after their horse Pakistan Legacy finally broke through for a first Hong Kong win. 

So sourced Pakistan Legacy from Australia for the Din family and the import was tracking in the right direction before an injury required the horse to have bone chips removed from his left knee in September last year. 

“It’s been quite a journey to get here, there have been multiple set-backs and just when we thought we had him ready it would be back to square one,” So said. “But this is a great family to train for, they understand racing and have been incredibly supportive.” 

Nazir Begum Din and Kareem Din are the wife and son of late owner Kerm Din, who raced the popular Group 1 winner Pakistan Star, who was as famous for his quirky behaviour as he was his world class ability. 

Pakistan Star famously stopped and refused to race during the 2017 Premier Plate when 1.2 favorite but less than a year later he was an emphatic winner of the Group 1 QEII Cup at Sha Tin. 

Since then So trained Pakistan Friend to five wins for the Din family and said he was thrilled to continue the association. 

“Even though it has taken six starts for the horse to get his win, I am glad he could do it before the end of the season and we get a 1.5 million bonus for the first local win,” So said. 

It was also an important victory for Australian jockey James Orman, who was re-licenced for the start of 2025/26 last week had two wins on the day as he seeks to lift his profile with owners and trainers. 

Orman came to Hong Kong mid-season and had ridden nine wins from 200 rides before yesterday, but his double lifted his strike rate to more than five percent.