Martin Fuchs and the 11-year-old gelding Clooney (Cornet Obolensky x Ferragamo) won Friday's Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy at the Longines Masters of Hong Kong.

The Swiss rider is one of the headlines of the Longines Masters, with victories from the Grand Prix of Paris in 2014, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Trophy in 2015 and later in the Miasuki Trophy of Paris the same year. Tonight he came back to competition after a serious fall in Zürich, that left him with a broken nose – still a little bit painful today. “It doesn’t hurt except when I touch it. And a fun fact, Clooney hit me in the face yesterday during a training, I had some tears coming…”, Fuchs smiled. But, the taste of victory helps sweeten the pain he reassures. “I was very motivated by this class. I knew it was going to be a good winning round, with all the great riders. But I was able to pull out some strides in two lines, and even if Clooney is not really fast, I managed to turn sharply and demand the gallop at the best time. I’m very happy!”

Tonight, they shortly beat two of the current best couples in the world: Simon Delestre and Chesall Zimequest (Casall x Concerto 4) and Emanuele Gaudiano and Caspar (Berlin x Padarco 2). Obviously they all will be part of the Longines Grand Prix on Sunday, that Fuchs is now impatient to participate in: “Clooney has a good reputation of clear rounds in Grand Prix classes, and with this victory tonight I know I can ask for more. I hope we have the same luck as today.”