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Zac Purton Captures Record-Equaling Third LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship

Zac Purton has joined Douglas Whyte and Frankie Dettori as a triple winner of the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship, claiming the title without a victory in the four-race series at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (Dec. 8) to add further luster to a phenomenal resume.

Four days after overtaking Whyte as the winner of the most prizemoney as a jockey in Hong Kong racing history, Purton amassed 22 points with three seconds and a third under the 12 points for a win, six for second and four for third format.

The Australian's consistency propelled him to a third title in five seasons in the HK$800,000 (about US$102,000) series, having previously triumphed in 2017 and 2020.

With second placings on Glorious Lover, Amazing One Plus and Shining Gem and a third on Circuit Seven, Purton out-pointed the winners of the four individual championship legs – Tom Marquand, Hollie Doyle, James McDonald and Mickael Barzalona – who shared a four-way tie for second with 12 points each.

Purton, 38, earned HK$500,000 (about US$64,000), while the runners-up collected HK$75,000 (about US$9,600).

Purton was elated to prevail again despite the frustrating run of minor placings.

“I came here a little bit worried about the quality of horses I was riding and knew that I was going to need things go my way and luckily I was able to get some nice runs on them and give them their chances,” he said.

“It was a bit frustrating I kept getting beaten in those photos, but I suppose that makes for good racing and a good competition. The points added up, it's very satisfying.”

In an engrossing battle for supremacy, defending champion Purton was one of seven riders with a mathematical chance of winning the series heading into the last leg, leading with 16 points, with Marquand, Doyle and McDonald locked in a three-way tie for second with 12 points.

Alexis Badel (six), Ryan Moore and Joao Moreira (four each) also had the chance to overtake Purton.

But Barzalona's driving finish on John Size's Elon in the final leg enabled the Frenchman to snare 12 points, leaving Purton to clinch the series with six points for second on Shining Gem with Moore receiving four points for Hong Kong Bet's third.

In a competition where visiting riders won all four legs, Englishman Marquand shot to the top of the table with victory on Hayes-trained Awesome Treasure in the first leg, a Class 4 handicap over 1000m, claiming the maximum 12 points. Badel collected six points aboard Fabulous Eight, with Purton scooping four points on Circuit Seven.

Hayes, who celebrated a double at the meeting, was delighted to share victory with Marquand, who rode in Australia for the dual Hong Kong champion trainer in 2019.

“I had a bit of luck with him (Marquand) when no-one knew him in Australia. I loved his strength that last 200 (metres),” said Hayes, who also snared a Happy Valley brace last week.

“It's nice to keep things moving and long may it continue.”

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Marquand said: “My first foreign forays were down in Australia for David when I'd had just under a year's riding and I had a bit of success there. It's absolutely great to be back riding for him here.

“This win ranks extremely highly in my career because riding against the world's best jockeys, it's pretty hard to top.”

Doyle soon matched her fiancée Marquand's feat, displaying tremendous strength aboard Manfred Man's Viva Hunter in the second leg, a Class 4 over 1650m. Purton earned six points for second atop Glorious Lover, while Moore picked up four points on Ai One.

Doyle said: “I thought I had been headed home. It (winning) is just as good if not better (than last year). It's good to have a crowd here, it lifts the atmosphere and I'm blessed to have had the luck I've had.

“It's very special to win against the world's best jockeys and it's a huge honour for Tom and I to be asked back here.”

McDonald delivered Caspar Fownes-trained Invincible Missile with impeccable timing to annexe the third leg, a Class 3 over 1650m, leaving Purton to earn six points for second on Amazing One Plus with Moreira pocketing four points on Red Majesty.

Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (12 December) with the staging of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races with the running of four G1s – the Hong Kong Sprint (1200m), Hong Kong Mile (1600m), Hong Kong Cup (2000m) and Hong Kong Vase (2400m).

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Ryan Moore Headlines Star-Studded Lineup For Hong Kong’s International Jockeys’ Championship

A stellar line-up featuring established greats and riders with red hot recent form will contest the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, Dec. 8, 2021.

The exciting line-up includes three previous winners of the world's most coveted jockey challenge crown, including Zac Purton and reigning Hong Kong Champion Jockey Joao Moreira, both multiple champions on the world's most intensely competitive circuit. Reigning LONGINES IJC champion Zac Purton and Ryan Moore will both chase a record-equaling third IJC title.

The HK$800,000 LONGINES IJC is a four-race competition for 12 elite jockeys, and this year's edition features eight overseas riders and four based in Hong Kong, all battling for the HK$500,000 (about US$64,000) top prize, the most lucrative jockeys' challenge winner's cheque in the world.

Ryan Moore is no stranger to the LONGINES IJC, readying for his 15th appearance in the prestigious event at the iconic city circuit. Currently sitting at the top of the LONGINES World's Best Jockey standings, Moore will have another opportunity to add further gloss to his already incredible record in the saddle at Happy Valley next month.

In-form James McDonald joins the star-studded list, having performed at an exceptional level this year. Hailing from New Zealand, McDonald recently broke the record for the most wins in a Melbourne Cup Carnival week, securing 10 victories – including the G1 Melbourne Cup – across the four meetings to surpass Brett Prebble's record of nine.

McDonald, who ranks third in the LONGINES World's Best Jockey standings behind Ryan Moore (112 points) with 96 points, in the best form of his career, having plundered four G1 victories during the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival and is also a clear leader in both the New South Wales and Sydney jockeys' championships.

Yuga Kawada – one of Japan's leading riders – is also performing at the top of his game and arrives in Hong Kong at the end of a year highlighted by his historic win with Loves Only You – the first Japanese-trained runner to score a Breeders' Cup triumph, claiming the G1 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf at Del Mar earlier this month. Through the current JRA season, Kawada is riding in sublime form with a win strike rate above 28%.

Meanwhile, Australian talent Damian Lane will join the contest for the first time. The 27-year-old rider has firmly established himself as one of the world's rising talents, winning three out of the four legs of Australian racing's 'Grand Slam' by securing the Golden Slipper aboard Kiamichi, Caulfield Cup aboard Mer De Glace and W.S. Cox Plate with Lys Gracieux in 2019.

Mickael Barzalona, representing France, will make his fourth LONGINES IJC appearance this year. He became one of the youngest riders ever to win the Derby when Pour Moi won at Epsom in 2011 and he added another Classic success to his record last year when Andre Fabre's Victor Ludorum won the French 2000 Guineas. His latest G1 win came on Sealiway in the Champion Stakes at Ascot in October.

Aged 30, Barzalona currently leads the French jockeys' championship – the Cravache d'Or – with 172 winners so far for the season after a five-timer at Marseille on Sunday (Nov. 14).

British duo, Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle, will join the contest for the second time as two of world racing's most rapidly ascending stars. Aged 23 and 25 respectively, the couple sealed third and fifth place in the 2021 British Flat Racing Jockeys Championship and both made their LONGINES IJC debuts last year. In 2020, Doyle became the first female jockey to win a leg of the IJC, allowing her to finish joint third with Alexis Badel in the event.

South Africa will be represented in the LONGINES IJC for the first time since Gavin Lerena's appearance in 2016 with Lyle Hewitson slated to make his debut. The 24-year-old rider, after spending six months riding in Hong Kong through the 2019/2020 season, not only scored a pair of G2 triumphs in Japan but also captured his third South Africa Champion Jockey title in the 2020/2021 season. He has returned to Hong Kong to ride this term.

The final two spots on the 12-rider roster for the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship will go to the highest-ranked rider in the Hong Kong championship standings, as well as the leading homegrown rider (a graduate of the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Apprentice Jockeys' School) at the cut-off date, which follows the race meeting on Wednesday, 24 November 2021.

Mr. Andrew Harding, the Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Director, Racing, said: “The LONGINES Hong Kong International Races and International Jockeys' Championship is the flagship event of Hong Kong racing and one of the World's top five racing events. It is a symbol of Hong Kong's world-class racing and the city's most prestigious international event.

“This year's LONGINES IJC has all the ingredients to provide another memorable edition. We have a fantastic line-up of accomplished riders, many of whom are in career-best form, including Yuga Kawada and James McDonald. Added to that is the return of Tom Marquand and Hollie Doyle who are competing for the second time and will again add great excitement to what is always a thrilling contest.”

“We are delighted to have assembled an outstanding cast of riders and we are looking forward to a great night of sport set against the backdrop of one of the most iconic racecourses in the world.”

“We are grateful for the opportunity to stage the event and will be meticulous in our implementation of the HKIR 2021 racing bubble that underpins this,” said Mr Harding.

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Zac Purton Claims International Jockeys’ Championship; Hollie Doyle First Woman To Win IJC Race

Zac Purton has claimed ultimate honors in the HK$800,000 (US$103,200) LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship on Wednesday at Happy Valley after clinching a tense contest from Joao Moreira in a dramatic finale to the four-race series.

Tied with Moreira on 18 points heading into the deciding race of the contest, Purton collected an invaluable two after dead-heating for third aboard Flying Bonus with Wind N Grass (Tom Marquand).

Moreira, who needed to finish ahead of Purton in the championship-deciding contest to add another accolade to his bulging collection, crossed the line in sixth place on Cue The Music, failing to improve his score.

On a landmark evening when Hollie Doyle became the first woman in history to win a leg of the of International Jockeys' Championship on David Hayes' Harmony N Blessed, Purton totaled 20 points under the 12-6-4 point format to deny Moreira (18).

Doyle and Alexis Badel were tied for third with 12 points each after Badel's victory on Gallant Crown.

Hong Kong's reigning champion jockey, Purton posted a treble at the meeting while also earning HK$500,000 (about US$65,000) – the richest prize in racing for competition of this type – as LONGINES IJC champion.

Tony Millard pocketed the HK$200,000 (US$25,800) bonus as the most successful trainer of the series after notching a double with Gallant Crown and Gift Of Lifeline in the third leg, who was ridden by Purton in the pair's first successful collaboration since 2015.

Now a two-time champion after success in 2017, Purton was elated with the timely success ahead of the prestige LONGINES Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin on Sunday, Dec. 13.

“In a competition like this when there's so much on the line, it certainly feels nice to have won it again, it's another moment that I'll cherish,” he said.

“I didn't start off too well but we built into it after that. Like I've been saying for quite some time now, barriers win races and unfortunately for me it seems have been going on for months.

“I've been drawing such bad barriers, every meeting, it's making so difficult to be competitive.

“Then I come here tonight and, as I said, they weren't the best rides in the race but the barriers gave them the chance to be competitive. I just needed a bit of luck and things went my way.”

Moreira set the early tone with a measured ride on Gouten Of Garo in the opening race of the contest, logging maximum points in the Class 4 contest for trainer David Ferraris.

“This horse actually surprised all of us,” Moreira said. “On paper, he didn't look like he was much of a chance.

“But David has done his job very well and he sent his horse out in great shape and he just delivered what he has got best.

“Up in class, we were not that confident. But I am pleased to be wrong.”

Badel was chuffed to land the second leg for Millard with Gallant Crown, who staved off Fearless Fire (Purton) and Maldives (Pierre-Charles Boudot).

“I'm glad to win for him (Millard), he's been a great supporter so far all this season and I'm glad he had such an important win tonight,” said the Frenchman, who is relishing his third stint based in Hong Kong.

“He (Gallant Crown) is a very good horse to pick up, he showed 1650 (meters) was perfect for him.”

Purton thrust his way into contention with a clinical display on Gift Of Lifeline in the third leg, prevailing in his first ride for Millard since June of 2017.

Moreira claimed a vital six points by finishing second on Smiling City for a share of the lead ahead of the finale as defending champion Karis Teetan earned four points with third placing on Helene Wisdom Star.

Hollie Doyle drives Harmony N Blessed to victory in the final leg of the IJC.

Doyle, only the third woman to contest the International Jockeys' Championship after Emma-Jayne Wilson (2007) and Chantal Sutherland (2009), delivered strongly supported Harmony N Blessed – but much of the focus was on the action behind her as Purton and Moreira dueled to the line.

“It's amazing,” Doyle said. “It's just great to be here and it's the icing on the cake.

“He's a very, big strong horse. I think he's got a good future ahead of him.”

The 12 jockeys involved in the contest – six from Hong Kong and six from Great Britain and Europe – all praised the Hong Kong Jockey Club's balanced ride allocation.

The system was devised by Australian expert form analyst Dominic Beirne.

“There have been a lot of good story lines out of tonight and I think the new system gave a lot of jockeys in the room a bit of confidence,” Purton said. “I could feel the enthusiasm in the room and everyone was keen to go out there and give themselves a chance.

“Hollie winning a race was another highlight and Tony winning the trainers' bonus and me being able to seal it for him. Hopefully we broke ice there and we can put our long run of outs behind us and just get on with business.”

On a glorious evening for Purton, he posted his 1200th win in Hong Kong after saluting on Run The Table in the Class 5 Australia Handicap and Speedy Optimist in the Class 5 Brazil Handicap, although he had to share honors in the latter after a dead-heat with Frenchman Alexis Badel aboard Great Harvest.

Purton is only the second jockey to reach the 1200-win milestone in Hong Kong. Record-holder Douglas Whyte (1813) is the other.

A four-time winner of the Hong Kong jockeys' championship, Purton rode his first winner in the jurisdiction in 2007.

Racing continues on Sunday with the glittering LONGINES Hong Kong International Races at Sha Tin.

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Tom Marquand Excited About International Jockeys’ Championship, Additional Rides In Hong Kong

Rising British star Tom Marquand will use vital experience gleaned on tight-turning tracks in England and Australia to offset a lack of familiarity with Happy Valley's famed contours when he tackles the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship on Wednesday, Dec. 9.

Seeking to bookend a phenomenal season, the 22-year-old will partner Very Sweet Orange, Nunchuks, Surrealism and Wind N Grass in the HK$800,000 (about US$103,000) four-race contest and hopes he can share the limelight – and spoils – with partner and fellow jockey Hollie Doyle.

“Fingers crossed we can walk away with a winner or two apiece,” said Marquand, winner of G1 contests in England and Australia this year.

“Some of the tracks in Australia aren't too dissimilar (to Happy Valley) with the tightness and the ground being generally being a little bit quicker than in England.

“But we've got tight tracks in England like Chester. It's on another level to over here perhaps.

“Happy Valley is certainly a different track. It's a test of a jockey and a horse being such a sharp, almost speed-orientated track. So, while it will be a little bit different, very looking forward to tackling it with a great book of rides for both of us.”

Marquand revealed exposure to Hong Kong races via international broadcasts beamed into England provided the framework of his Happy Valley expectations.

“It's (Hong Kong racing) always on our TV and we're lucky to have that understanding of the way the races work, even from England,” Marquand, fresh from a double at Wolverhampton on Saturday, Dec. 5, said.

“(Wolverhampton is) not quite so glamorous as some of the days we've been lucky to have this year but, in all seriousness, it's massive coming into a day's racing like this having your confidence up.

“It's been a busy old year and it's easy to forget the good days I've had at smaller meetings, not just the days at Doncaster and Ascot, for example.”

A former champion apprentice, Marquand has already bettered his previous season-best haul of 136 winners with 141 to date – and he is not finished yet.

Apart from his four LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship mounts, he will also partner Red Majesty in the Class 4 France Handicap (1650m) and PPG (Privately Purchased Griffin) Donc Je Suis in the Class 4 Mauritius Handicap (1200m) at Happy Valley.

The Englishman will take three rides at Sha Tin on Sunday (Dec. 13).

“The Hong Kong Jockey Club has gone to great lengths to get us over so it seemed a shame to go home and not have an opportunity to ride at out Sha Tin as well,” he said.

“By the look of it, I've got three rides – none in the international races, all in the local races as such – but really looking to getting out there on Sunday as well.”

Doyle best's chance in the LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship is the David Hayes-trained Harmony N Blessed in the fourth leg of the series, a Class 3 contest over 1200m.

Hayes is confident the last-start debut winner can again contend.

“He's very professional and he did everything right at Sha Tin,” he said.

“He looks like he likes the Valley. I know he hasn't raced there but his trials have been excellent.

“You never know until they race, but he's a pretty straight-forward horse. He should be OK.

“He's probably eating better now than he was before the first run, so that's a good sign.

“It's a nice competitive race. Good step up, light weight so hopefully he can handle it.”

The dual champion trainer has full confidence in Doyle's ability.

“Her record overseas is too good to be concerned about having her on the horse. I think she'll do a good job,” he said.

Doyle's other jockey championship mounts are Happily Friends, Universal Go Go and Sunny Lad.

Wednesday's LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship meeting at Happy Valley starts at 6.30pm with the running of the Class 5 Australia Handicap (1650m).

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