Vincent Ho saw off the challenge of some of the best riders around the world to win the International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley in Hong Kong.

Ho, best known for his association with local superstar Golden Sixty, who will be back in action at the weekend attempting to win the Hong Kong Mile for a third time, needed victory in the last leg on Tomodachi Kokoroe to seal the title having finished third in the first two contests.

The likes of Ryan Moore, Tom Marquand, Hollie Doyle and Zac Purton were also in action, but Ho sealed victory with a half-length success aboard David Hayes’ charge.

“Of course I’m very happy, I didn’t know about the score so it’s great,” said Ho.

“I’m pleased to have a winner. When the horse changed legs today, he came home very well.

“I was lucky to get some good draws today and of course it is a privilege to join all the top jockeys here, I enjoy racing against them.

“It’s good to have a home-grown jockey win it to inspire more upcoming jockeys.”

Ho took the title with 20 points, with Purton second on 18 and Rachel King, once racing secretary for Clive Cox in the UK and now a multiple Group One-winning jockey in Australia, third on 16.

King won the first leg on Oversubscribed and said: “I had to pinch myself halfway up the straight as the horse just travelled into it and if anything, I thought I might have got there a little bit too soon.

“He was a beautiful ride, he showed me around the track and it was a perfect start.”

Moore, who won the second leg on M Unicorn, said: “It’s always a real pleasure to be asked to ride here, I love to ride at Happy Valley, it’s a fantastic week. It’s great to have a winner but I appreciate being here.”

Tom Marquand has his sights set on what would be a memorable Group One double at Newmarket this weekend.

The prolific Relief Rally takes her chance in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes, followed soon after by Lake Forest in the Middle Park.

Both juveniles are trained by William Haggas and both are fresh from Group-race victories at the Ebor meeting, where Relief Rally landed the Lowther Stakes and Lake Forest was a slightly more surprising winner of the Gimcrack.

Their big-race jockey said: “Relief Rally has been foot-perfect all season. She is a little battler and has the ability to go with it which is great. I’m looking forward to the weekend as it would be her big opportunity to get a well-deserved Group One on the board.

“Realistically, she probably has to take another little step forward as there are other fillies who will be progressing at the end of the year, but it is a step, not a leap. 

“She has been super versatile everywhere we have gone with her. The way she has done everything else I can’t imagine the track will be a problem. If she takes a small step forward she should be putting up a big performance and that should be enough to win.”

He added: “If she does train on it would be absolutely fantastic as she has not had a killer year where you have emptied the tank.

“She has had every opportunity to have some big dances, and this would be the biggest of them all. 

“With fast two-year-olds you have to enjoy them in the moment and ultimately she has given us a great season. 

“If it backs up to nothing else then so be it, but you can always look back with great fondness as there are not many that can go to those big festival meetings and perform as well as she has.”

In contrast to Relief Rally obliging as the 2-1 favourite at York, Lake Forest was sent on his way at 16-1 for the Gimcrack, having been beaten at 1-3 previously at Newmarket.

Marquand said: “He flashed what he could do up at Haydock on his first start and the July Stakes at Newmarket was similar.

“Getting beat in the novice was the curveball that probably made him completely unfancied in the Gimcrack, but if you went back to that July Stakes form, you probably had to think he was not too far away from having a really good shout in it. 

“It is going to be an extremely tough race and there are those horses that are proven at the top level already, but he is a Gimcrack winner, and you have to be a pretty good horse to do that and hopefully he can continue on that path.”

Before Saturday, Marquand has a high-profile ride to look forward to on Friday with the return of Maljoom in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai Joel Stakes.

The Caravaggio colt has not been seen since finishing an unlucky fourth in last year’s St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.

“It is great to have Maljoom back on a racecourse. He was an extremely exciting horse but didn’t have things go his way and unfortunately he found a few bumps in the road,” he said.

“I jumped on him the other morning and he felt great. He has been off the track for a long time and you worry he might be a bit rusty, but he feels and looks great and everyone is happy with him.

“Hopefully he can make a good reappearance and show us what he showed before and get back on the right road.

“William had a couple of options for him, but he chose this for a reason, and it looks a good starting place. Hopefully it will be a good gauge as to where he is and what we do in the future with him.

“Fingers crossed this next chapter in his book can be a bit longer than the last one and he can have a clear run at it all.”

A first Classic winner for the King and the Queen this weekend remains a possibility, with Desert Hero one of nine confirmed for the Betfred St Leger at Doncaster on Saturday.

The William Haggas-trained Sea The Stars colt has already entered the record books once this season, when winning the King George V Stakes at Royal Ascot.

On that occasion, it was the first time the King and Queen’s colours had been victorious at the Royal meeting since the death of the late Queen, and having enhanced his reputation in the Gordon Stakes at Goodwood he now has the chance to follow in the footsteps of Dunfermline, who carried the royal silks to glory in 1977.

Desert Hero’s rider Tom Marquand has already experienced victory in the Leger, with Galileo Chrome for Joseph O’Brien in 2020.

“He ticks all the boxes of what you want from a Leger horse,” he said of this year’s contender.

“It’s a mile and three-quarters but he has speed, he stays, he relaxes right and he’s with the right team, so fingers crossed we get a good draw and the right trip around.

“It would be amazing (to win a second Leger), and I think the magnitude of it possibly being Desert Hero for the King and Queen is not lost on me after I had that experience at Royal Ascot.

“I didn’t acknowledge the significance of it beforehand. As a jockey you just want to go out and win, you don’t think past what happens getting over the winning line. I think this time it is a little different, the Doncaster crowd are notoriously passionate about their racing and love a big day out. If it was to come off it would be pretty magical.”

Simon and Ed Crisford’s Chesspiece is the sole Godolphin representative and was second behind Desert Hero on the Sussex Downs, while John and Thady Gosden could saddle three in the race having confirmed both market leader Gregory and the Juddmonte-owned Arrest as well as supplementing Melrose winner Middle Earth.

Oisin Murphy rides the latter and is excited about his prospects. He told Sky Sports Racing: “He has to step up on his Melrose victory, but the form has been franked. He beat Naqeeb at Newmarket in the novice and he won really at Haydock (on Saturday) and Kempton the time before, so hopefully he’s improving and I’m looking forward to riding him.

“Sheikh Fahad has won the race before with Simple Verse, so hopefully he’ll be bang there.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going to be a very big field, but there’s some good horses in there.

“Time will tell, but I think he’s a horse with the right profile and I’d be very excited about his future in general anyway.”

Gregory has the chance to give Frankie Dettori one last Classic success and although losing his unbeaten record in the Great Voltigeur at York last month, he won the Queen’s Vase over this distance at Royal Ascot.

Great Voltigeur winner Continuous is one of four in the mix for Aidan O’Brien alongside Denmark, Alexandroupolis and Bahrain Trophy runner-up Tower Of London.

Providing an update on ground conditions, Doncaster’s clerk of the course Paul Barker said: “We are currently good on the straight course and good, good to soft in places on the round course. We had a few thundery showers over the weekend, but are sunny today, with the potential of some more showers tonight and tomorrow.

“Racing on Thursday and Friday are set fair, with some showers forecast Friday evening, into Saturday.”

William Haggas heaped praise on stable jockey Tom Marquand after the pair combined to win both of the major handicaps on Betfair Sprint Cup day at Haydock.

The Newmarket handler is a rare visitor to the Merseyside venue, so the fact he decided to make the journey north for the biggest day of the track’s Flat season was noteworthy.

His representative in the first of two £100,000 contests on the card was the impeccably-bred Naqeeb (5-2), who produced a battling display in the Get Daily Rewards With Betfair Handicap.

The son of Nathaniel is a half-brother to the trainer’s former stable star Baaeed and the top-class middle-distance performer Hukum, last seen winning the King George at Ascot in July.

Naqeeb will have to go some to scale those heights, but having opened his account with a wide-margin novice win at Kempton last month, he dug deep on his first start over a mile and three-quarters to score by a length and a quarter from Blindedbythelights.

“I thought a mark of 100 was steep for him, but I think he’s improved a bit for going up in trip and I think he’ll be a good stayer next year,” said Haggas.

“He took a while to win. He got mugged by Middle Earth I thought at Newmarket and now look at Middle Earth, who looks to have a likely chance in the St Leger.

“He’s not as quick as Baaeed – I think he wants another mile! How far he’ll go I don’t know, but he’s a big, raw horse whose still got lots to learn and if he can can end up half as good as those two (Baaeed and Hukum) that’ll do me.”

Haggas and Marquand were soon on the mark again, with Post Impressionist (10-1) coming from the clouds to lift the Betfair Exchange Old Borough Cup.

Caius Chorister looked home for all money after moving smoothly to the lead, but Post Impressionist – who had hinted at a return to form when not beaten far in the Ebor at York last month – flew home from the rear to land the spoils.

Haggas added: “Tom said he didn’t want to go early and I was hoping if that was the case they’d go fast and they seemed to do just that. It’s a long way up the straight when they go hard and thankfully he managed to pick them off.

“The first race of any description he’s run properly this year was in the Ebor last time. There was just a glimpse there and we’re delighted he’s come good today.”

Of Marquand, he said: “I’m really sick of saying it, but he’s a top-class rider and a great fellow. He is really hungry, really keen and really strong.

“I don’t know why he doesn’t have six favourites a day like (William) Buick and (Oisin) Murphy have, but Tom will get there eventually – he’s a young guy.

“He rode his 1,000th winner (in Britain) the other day and all I can guarantee you is it won’t take him that long to ride another 1,000.”

The high-class Chindit (5-2) dominated his rivals in the Group Three Best Odds On The Betfair Exchange Superior Mile.

Runner-up to Modern Games in the Lockinge at Newbury, Richard Hannon’s charge was upstaged by stablemate The Witch Hunter when favourite for last month’s Hungerford Stakes but showed his true colours this time, passing the post just over two lengths ahead of Light Infantry.

“He didn’t run his race last time at Newbury and he was a bit disappointing, but he was right back to his best and he looked like the Group One horse that I think he is,” said Hannon.

“Mr Poonawalla purchased him to see his mares once he retires from racing and he has now won a Group race at two, three, four and five. He looks right back to his very best form.

“We will certainly look at some nice pots abroad now where there is fast ground. There are a couple of races in Australia and races around two bends over a mile in America and he might even be the sort of horse that gets an invite to Hong Kong.”

Chindit’s rider James Doyle doubled up aboard Mick Appleby’s 4-1 shot Raasel in the Betfair Be Friendly Handicap, while the Listed Betfair Daily Tips On Betting.Betfair Ascendant Stakes went to the Roger Varian-trained Al Musmak.

Successful on his Ascot debut before finding only the exciting Rosallion too strong in a Listed contest on King George day, the 11-4 chance got back on the winning trail with a clear-cut victory over 6-4 favourite Macduff.

Winning jockey Ben Curtis said: “He relaxed lovely down the back and I was just keen not to give them too much rope as they can get away from you here.

“He travelled into it nice and when I gave him one flick he responded and went to the front and saw out the mile well, so I’m very pleased with him.

“He floated across the ground and hopefully he’ll take another step forward after that.”

Tom Marquand reflected on a thoroughly satisfactory Qatar Goodwood Festival that saw him pick up not only the top jockey title but all the riding accolades.

The rider ended the week with four victories to his credit, all of which demonstrated his undeniable range of skill in the saddle.

While Hamish’s win in Friday’s Glorious Stakes was a pretty straightforward affair, Marquand twice exhibited his excellent front-running abilities, first stealing the march on Quickthorn’s rivals in Tuesday’s Group One Goodwood Cup – a trick he repeated on Saturday aboard Sumo Sam in the Lillie Langtry Stakes.

In contrast, Desert Hero had to be delivered with precision timing in Thursday’s Gordon Stakes, prevailing by just a neck to cement his St Leger claims and raise hopes of a Classic winner for owners the King and Queen.

Marquand admitted there was only ever one set of tactics with Quickthorn, but was delighted to be able to show the full range of his powers in the saddle.

He said: “Obviously with Quickthorn it was plan A – and plan A only – and I was always going to do it, and everybody knew I was going to do it.

“It was pretty special and to do that in a Group One, as a jockey I’m always conscious that you don’t want to fall into that lull of if you’re riding 140/150 horses a month, you can very easily just sort of go into an autonomous routine and you go out, you get on, you canter down, you jump out the stalls, and you can end up riding without any flair or passion.

“And I think it’s important to make sure that you ride like you enjoy it, because you do enjoy it.

“Quickthorn showcased that and then being able to go opposite and ride with a bit of playfulness in the opposite regard on Desert Hero the next day, it makes it fun as a jockey.

“I know that ultimately you have one job and that is to win and get it done, but sometimes by making sure you’re enjoying it, it can actually be the way to ride best.”

Marquand spent his formative years with the Hannon team in Wiltshire and admitted the yard’s success over the years at the meeting put an extra shine on taking the leading jockey honours.

He added: “It’s great. It’s been a good week. Coming to big meetings, you walk away with one winner and when you start that’s obviously a big deal. But the further you go through your career, you want to put your name on the placard. It’s great.

“I grew up at Hannon’s as an apprentice and Goodwood was a big, big deal. You only have to look at the table on the wall to see how many times Richard Hannon senior won it, and obviously Richard junior after, so it’s always been something you would have your eyes on from when you are an apprentice, so it’s great, it’s nice.”

Ralph Beckett came out on top in the trainers’ division, sending out three winners including the King and Queen’s Serried Ranks on Friday and Lennox Stakes hero Kinross, who was one of two winners for Frankie Dettori at his final Goodwood Festival.

Beckett said: “I am amazed, what a lovely surprise!

“It has been a very satisfying week, I have really enjoyed it and am delighted with how the horses have been running. There were too many seconds, but that is the nature of it!

“Kinross’ win in the Lennox Stakes is the obvious highlight, but also the double yesterday was pretty special.

“Classical Song’s second on debut in the maiden fillies’ race was a pleasing run, and Balance Play’s win in the handicap yesterday was a long-held plan.”

It is rare that husband and wife jockeys ride against each other in a top-class race, and it is rarer still that they ride for the same trainer.

Yet that is the prospect facing Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle when they oppose each other in the Group One Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on Friday.

Doyle is on the much-fancied Nashwa for owner Imad Al Sagar, while Marquand will sport the famous pink and green Juddmonte colours aboard Coppice, with both trained by John and Thady Gosden.

For racing’s ‘golden couple’, it is business as normal, as Doyle explained: “I’m obviously only riding because of Imad’s retainer, but it’s good that Tom has picked up that good ride.

“Riding against him in a Group One for the same team is not something I’ve really thought about – it would never really cross my mind. It’s just another day at the office.”

Third in last year’s Oaks, Nashwa went on to give Doyle a first Classic success when taking the French equivalent at Chantilly before recording a second Group One success in the Nassau at Goodwood and excellent placed efforts in both France and America.

However, she has failed to really sparkle in her two starts this term, at Chantilly and Newcastle, and Doyle is hoping she will finally be ready to show her true colours as she drops back to a mile for the first time in eight starts since landing a Haydock novice in April last year.

“I think she has taken a time to come to hand,” added Doyle. “She is really big and has grown a lot over the winter. I just think she has taken a few runs to get straightened out, really.

“John and Thady are clearly happy with the way she has come out of Newcastle to run her back in the Falmouth. We will leave it to them – they usually do the right thing.”

Marquand replaces the suspended Frankie Dettori aboard Coppice, who followed up her Newcastle novice success with victory in the Sandringham at Royal Ascot.

He said: “Obviously it’s fantastic to pick up a ride of Coppice’s quality in a major Group One.

“She comes in off the back of an impressive performance at Ascot with Frankie and under unfortunate circumstances for him, I’ve been lucky enough to have been given the opportunity to get aboard her, so hopefully she can continue along her progressive path.”

Barry Mahon, European racing manager for owner Juddmonte, feels it is a “nice opportunity” for Coppice to test her mettle.

He said: “This is a huge step up in class, but she’s a nice filly and she won well at Ascot.

“She’s a filly that we have Group-race aspirations for so we will start here and see how we get on and if we have to lower her sights, then we can. She’s a filly who, if she could get third in a Group One, then that would be a nice result.”

The George Boughey-trained Via Sistina, winner of the Pretty Polly Stakes at the Curragh just under two weeks ago, is a likely favourite but her participation hinges on some ease in the Newmarket ground.

Bookmakers see Ralph Beckett’s duo, Remarquee and last year’s winner Prosperous Voyage, as the biggest threats outside of Nashwa, with the former making her first outing for new owners Wathnan Racing on the back of her second to Tahiyra in the Coronation Stakes.

Meanwhile, defending champion Prosperous Voyage was a winner at Epsom before finishing third in the Duke of Cambridge Stakes at Ascot and returns to the scene of her finest hour with William Buick deputising for the suspended Frankie Dettori in the saddle.

“Hopefully the rain will hold off for her,” said Jamie McCalmont, racing manager for Marc Chan, who owns the filly with Andrew Rosen.

“Her last two runs have been good and she goes into the race as well as she did last year, so you would have to be really hopeful.”

Saffie Osborne maintains her partnership with Ed Walker’s Random Harvest, having finished a place behind Prosperous Voyage at Epsom, but a place in front of that rival at Ascot, while Never Ending Story (Aidan O’Brien), Ameynah (Roger Varian) and Astral Beau (Pam Sly) complete the line-up.