Fownes crowned champion trainer for fifth time as Sha Tin celebrates the showman

Caspar Fownes was crowned Hong Kong's champion trainer for a fifth time at Sha Tin on Sunday – and he now gets to enjoy a victory lap at his beloved Happy Valley when the season closes on Wednesday night.

The title was sealed late in the meeting, without the champion saddling a winner, when the gap to nearest rival Danny Shum Chap-shing became mathematically impossible to close. Shum clawed one win back to trail 69-64, but with only three likely runners at the finale, the fight was over.

That allowed Fownes to lift the trophy in front of the Sha Tin crowd, flanked on stage by wife Alix and son Ronan, a key member of his stable staff. He dedicated the championship – his fifth after titles in 2006/07, 2008/09, 2013/14 and 2020/21 – to his family.

"Finally, I can enjoy the Wednesday at my home track," Fownes said. "It's official now, so we're very proud, very happy.

"Lots of love to my beautiful wife Alix and my three boys for supporting me and getting me to really dig deep. I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of my family, and I'm proud of everyone around me that's been giving me a positive vibe all the way through the season.

"The Chinese owners, the locals in my stable – everyone has worked hard for this. It's hard to win a championship in Hong Kong, it really is. It means a lot to me, this one, so I'm really happy."

The trainers' championship carries no prize money, but for Fownes, that was never the point.

"It's showing my competitive spirit," he said. "I want to show I can mix it and I've got what it takes. To be a five-time champion, that is something to be proud of in Hong Kong.

"And it's for my boys. When they're growing up, I want to be a good positive figure in their life, and I hope I can be that. Alix has given me the constant push, and that has been just magic."

Fownes reserved special praise for Joao Moreira, the former champion jockey he called in as his retained stable rider. The Brazilian rode 27 winners for the yard, including some key close finishes in the final stretch run of the season.

"My God – without Joao, it wouldn't be possible the last few months," Fownes said. "Of course he made a difference. He's a superstar. What a great man, what a great jockey.

"He lifted a lot of horses that I think others would have struggled to get over the line, so I'm thankful for him to come in and help me out the last few months."

The championship caps a season built the hard way. None of Fownes' 69 winners came at Group level, and 46 so far under the lights at Happy Valley – a career-best return for the "King of the Valley," who has trained more winners at the city circuit than anyone in history.

Five titles sit alongside his name, 19 years after the first, and Wednesday night belongs to the showman of Hong Kong racing.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓