Ethan Brown strikes on night one as Shooting To Top delivers dream Happy Valley debut

Australian jockey Ethan Brown made an immediate impact on his Hong Kong race-riding debut when he guided Shooting To Top to victory at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, saluting at just his third ride in the city.

They say it is sometimes better to be lucky than good in Hong Kong racing, but Brown had both elements at play in a result that justified the support of punters who had backed the Cody Mo Wai-kit-trained four-year-old into 6.2 second favoritism.

Brown picked up the mount after Matthew Poon informed Mo he had a prior booking following the close of entries.

"We had to find another jockey, and he got the job done," Mo said.

From barrier seven in the 1650-meter Class 4, Brown pushed forward to secure a perfect box seat position, cutting in with a move to cross that attracted scrutiny from stewards but avoided suspension. From there he hugged the rail and showed tenacity in a blanket finish, Shooting To Top holding off Glorious Journey by a short head with Sure Joyful the same margin away in third.

"It feels great, it is something we all strive to do – to get a winner is one thing, but to get one straight away is another, I am rapt," Brown said.

"He felt great, he was prepared in very good order. Cody had him nice and fit, he bounced well from the barriers and we were able to get a nice trailing position. He was able to get a nice smooth run through and he was too strong late. Cody had him in perfect order and I was the benefactor of that."

Mo said Brown rode to instructions. "I told him the race didn't have much pace so to go forward – he had trialed well at Happy Valley when he raced handy.” 

The celebrations did not go entirely to script. Brown was dismounted while performing the customary high-five of fans leaning over the Beer Garden railing when his young horse shied from the crowd. Both horse and rider were unharmed.

"He is still a bit green and ran out from the crowd, but everybody is fine," Mo said.

In the following race Brown was an unlucky third aboard Young Arrow, a result he described as a "hard watch" for connections. "He should have won – but we live and we learn," he said.

Brown, 27, grew up in Alice Springs, in a family with no connection to racing. He moved to Melbourne at 15 to apprentice under Cranbourne trainer Mick Kent and became a rising star of Australian racing before a horrific fall at Flemington in March 2023 nearly killed him. Brown underwent three surgeries and spent three days in a medically induced coma. After battling PTSD and anxiety he returned in January 2024 and has since ridden 10 Group 1 winners.

On his first impressions of the Valley, Brown said: "It is very quick, very tight, and you have to be on your A game. Everything is a bit tighter and there is a lot more genuine tempo – obviously with the handicaps it comes down to inches, so everybody is trying to save ground, and that is where the tempo is generated."

Brown is licensed to ride in Hong Kong through the season finale on July 15.

"I think the best way to describe it is getting the monkey off my back," he said of the early success. "It felt pretty good going over the line."