Zac Purton has become only the second jockey in Hong Kong racing history to ride 1600 winners as the Australian continues a relentless quest of history following a treble at Happy Valley on Thursday night.
Douglas Whyte (1813 wins) is the only other jockey to reach the 1,600-win mark in Hong Kong and Purton’s three-timer leaves him with a career-high 169 wins for the season – and on the verge of creating more history across the remaining three meetings of the 2022/23 season.
Purton, 40, requires only one more victory to match Joao Moreira’s single-season record of 170 wins as the five-time Hong Kong champion – who leads this season’s jockeys’ championship by 76 wins over Vincent Ho (93) – moves ever closer to Whyte’s colossal career haul.
The Australian was elated at his latest achievement.
“It’s a massive number – as everyone knows and, as I keep saying – it’s hard to ride a single winner here in Hong Kong, let alone 1600 so I need to thank all the trainers and owners for the opportunities they’ve given me,” Purton said.
“Without them, I wouldn’t be there. It’s very satisfying but I’ve still got a little bit more work to do this season.”
Purton’s winners tonight came for three different trainers – Francis Lui (Stoltz), Me Tsui (Sergeant Pepper) and John Size (Reward Smile).
Reward Smile’s victory left Size with a 10-win advantage – 74 to 64 – over reigning champion Frankie Lor with only 31 races left in the season.
Size would also create history with a record 12th trainers’ championship. The champion handler currently shares the record of 11 titles with Australian compatriot George Moore.
Resuming for Francis Lui, Stoltz almost broke his own course record. Clocking a blistering 55.93 – marginally outside the 55.85s he set in January, 2022 – Stoltz won by almost two lengths.
Purton said: “We rolled all the way and he likes a high cruising speed. He’s a big-striding horse and loves to get into that rhythm, which suited him tonight. He did a good job and Francis has done a good job to get him back.”
Boosting his career tally to five wins from 13 starts, Stoltz suffered from lameness last season and spent several months at Conghua before returning to Hong Kong.
“I’m happy to see him come back. Last season, he had a problem, and he had to take a break for the first half of this season,” Lui said. “His record shows he likes Happy Valley very much, but I think 1000m at either course suits him. That’s why he won at Sha Tin the start before this one.”
Me Tsui’s Sergeant Pepper showed tremendous speed after bursting from barrier 12 to race on the speed before holding on for a brave win.
Lui is poised to post a career-best seasonal tally after talented Joyful Hunter gave the handler his stable’s 60th triumph of the campaign with a dramatic win.
Unbeaten in two starts, the Darci Brahma gelding shouldered 135lb to down leader Colonel (121lb) by a short head with Savvy Chic (132lb) a further short head away in third. Lui slotted 63 wins in 2019/20.
Celebrating his 63rd birthday with a pair of Class 5 wins, Peter Ho matched Lui’s brace but still needs two more wins at Class 4 or higher to satisfy the trainers’ performance criteria.
Ho finished the meeting with 16 wins, but four of those have been achieved in Class 5, however his delight was clear after Jubilation’s victory under Keith Yeung.
“It’s my best birthday present for me, it worked perfectly,” Ho said. “I need two (more wins in Class 4 or above). I’m struggling. I hope I can do it. In the next two or three meetings, I’ve got some good chances. It depends if I have luck or not.”
Ho also struck with Viva A La and Alexis Badel. Badel sealed a double when Ricky Yiu’s Watch Buddy claimed victory.
A three-year-old by Rothesay, Watch Buddy was having only his fifth start.
A daring mid-race move from Hugh Bowman paved the way for D Star’s victory. Trained by Tony Cruz, the Darci Brahma three-year-old, settled in the rear division before Bowman forged to the lead before coming away for a tough win.
Tony Millard secured his seventh win of the season when Super Hong Kong flayed his rivals under Karis Teetan.
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The Hong Kong jockeys’ championship hangs in the balance after Zac Purton drew within one win of Joao Moreira with seven meetings left in the season as Derek Leung took riding honours with a double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (June 22).
On an eventful night, Moreira was stood down from riding after the first race because of health issues and will also be sidelined for the Sha Tin meeting on Saturday (June 25), potentially opening the door for Purton to steal a late-season march in the race for title honours.
The contrasting fortunes of the two four-time Hong Kong champion jockeys was captured in the opening event of the card when Purton ignited his championship charge with victory on Francis Lui’s Run The Table in the Class 5 Cochrane Handicap (1650m) while Moreira finished seventh on Oh Bravo before being stood down.
While Run The Table was Purton’s sole winner for the evening as the Australian subsequently filed four minor placings, Moreira missed the chance to mitigate his arch-rival’s gain when one of his original rides – Winning Icey – won the second section of the Class 4 Gage Handicap (1200m) under substitute rider Luke Ferraris for Caspar Fownes.
Moreira clings to a slender 127-126 margin over Purton as Leung continues to emerge as a threat to Matthew Chadwick (46) and Vincent Ho (44) in the battle for the Tony Cruz Award for the leading home-grown jockey.
Leung’s brace took his tally to 42 for the season, initially coaxing the best out of Sergeant Pepper to win the Class 4 Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council 30th Anniversary Cup Handicap (1000m) for Me Tsui, piloting the I Am Invincible gelding to his first victory at his 12th start.
“It was a good win for me, he’s been working well in the morning but he’s so nervous and struggles to relax,” Leung said. “He was more relaxed tonight and I was able to warm him up behind the gates and he was able to save more energy.
“In the race, he did everything perfectly – we had a good start and we had no troubles.”
Leung then sealed his double with Bulletproof’s swooping victory in the Class 4 Graham Handicap (1650m) for Ricky Yiu. Posting his third win over the 1650m trip at Happy Valley, Bulletproof benefited from a patient Leung ride.
“I was put off by the barrier (12), but it was a perfect ride by the jockey,” Yiu said. “He rode him exactly the way he needs to be ridden.”
Fownes sealed a double when Nicconi County landed the Class 3 Lyndhurst Handicap (1200m), prompting the champion trainer to predict a bright future for the three-year-old.
“He’s nice, he’s still young, he’s still learning his trade. We’ll put him away for next season and he could be quite an exciting horse for next season,” Fownes said. “I’m pretty confident he’ll get into Class 2. Naturally, you hope they’ll develop and get stronger.”
Family Folks brightened a challenging season for Michael Chang with success in the Class 2 Staunton Handicap (1200m), providing the trainer with his 12th victory of the season.
“He’s very honest, big heart. He’s sound and healthy and racing well at the end of the season – light weight, good gate,” Chang observed. “He’s very consistent, especially at Happy Valley over 1200 metres.
“He can have a good break now. I’ll try to get a few more good horses next season.”
Douglas Whyte and Lyle Hewitson continued a flourishing partnership with Nothing New’s front-running victory in the Class 3 Shelley Handicap (1650m). The South African duo has now combined for 16 wins this campaign. Whyte has 41 wins for the season; Hewitson has 21.
Antoine Hamelin made clever use of Jimmy Ting’s Cigar Buddies’ searing early pace to control the Class 5 Elgin Handicap (1200m) from the outset.
“He jumped two lengths faster than everyone today – this horse is very fast,” the Frenchman said. “No-one chased me and I could control the pace, he travelled lovely and, in the home straight, he kicked and I’m happy because he deserved the win.”
Benno Yung-trained Ambitious Heart proved he had lost none of his competitive zest with victory in the first section of the Class 4 Gage Handicap (1200m) under Matthew Poon.
The eight-year-old posted his sixth win at his 62nd appearance and his fourth over the Happy Valley six-furlong course, having started his career in Hong Kong six years ago.
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Christchurch apprentice Rohan Mudhoo is riding the crest of a wave, having impressed the country’s leading trainer Jamie Richards enough to secure key rides for Te Akau Racing at Riccarton on Saturday.
Mudhoo, apprenticed to Riccarton trainer Mike McCann, had his first ride for Richards at Timaru last week, finishing seventh on Remington. Despite that unplaced finish, Mudhoo has secured two rides for Richards this weekend, aboard Group 1 winner Age Of Fire in the Speights Handicap (1200m) and the stakes-placed Summer Monsoon in the Group 1 Raceday Party 1400.
“It’s a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to ride one for them,” said Mudhoo, a 2kg-claiming apprentice with 58 wins to his credit. “(Te Akau travelling foreman) Paul Richards brings the horses over to my boss’ stables if he wants me to gallop one in trackwork and he told me he had asked his son about jockeys. “He said his son said ‘put Rohan on’. He’s been watching me closely for a wee while and was happy with my riding.
“They gave me a chance with Remington at Timaru. I was stuck three wide but I gave the horse the best chance I could and there were no complaints about the ride.”
Mudhoo rode Age Of Fire in trackwork on Thursday morning and was impressed enough with his mount to give him a winning chance on Saturday. “He feels ready to go for Saturday,” Mudhoo said. “We haven’t drawn well (barrier 13) but with the weather forecast and race conditions for that time of the day, the track might be chopped up on the inside and we might be in the right part of the track. “He gave me a massive feeling this morning so I think he’ll run a really good race for me.”
Age Of Fire won the Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham for Richards in 2018 before he was transferred to Australian trainer Darren Weir then to Ciaron Maher, twice placing at Listed level before returning to Richards this year.
Mudhoo was also looking forward to riding Summer Monsoon earlier in the day. “I didn’t get the chance to ride him in trackwork but I’ll be doing my homework on him,” Mudhoo said. “He has drawn wide as well but I’ll be making sure I give him the best ride I can to give him his best chance of winning.”
Mudhoo has been engaged for four rides for McCann on Frankie The Fox, Gee Tee Eleanor, Sergeant Pepper and the balloted Magie Noire as well as the Nicky Lloyd-trained Stella Daze.
“Gee Tee Eleanor looks a good chance. She finished fourth in the Winter Classic and then went really well last start,” Mudhoo said. “She’s drawn barrier four and with this draw and the rain about, she loves a wet track so we think she will race very well. She was a bit unlucky last time. She flew home just a little too late.”
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