Zac Purton | Horse Racing Free Tips

Japanese-Trained Normcore Upstages Magical In Hong Kong Cup

Zac Purton has crowned a week of stellar milestones by becoming the first rider in history to partner nine Hong Kong International Races winners after Japanese mare Normcore upstaged Win Bright and Magical in the HK$28 million G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin.

Purton, 37, gained the ride on the grey after Christophe Soumillon was forced to forfeit the mount after failing to secure an unconditional release from quarantine following a COVID test on Thursday.

On Wednesday at Happy Valley, Purton became only the second jockey after Douglas Whyte to ride 1,200 winners in Hong Kong.

The reigning jockey champion, Purton was jubilant after breaking the Hong Kong International Races' tie he had shared with Frenchman Gerard Mosse after Normcore outsprinted fellow Japan's Win Bright and Ireland's Magical.

“It's something I'm very proud of, it's a great achievement,” he said.

“To also now be the only jockey to win the full set of international races twice is also for myself somewhat rewarding.

“Hopefully, I can just can continue to have luck at this meeting going forward.

“It's been a great week, I'm very thankful that I get these opportunities.”

Purton was grateful to regain the ride on Normcore, whose previous G1 triumph came in the Victoria Mile when partnered by another Australian, Damian Lane, in May 2019.

“Initially we sort of confirmed the ride and then when it was announced Christophe was coming, they changed their mind. They're entitled to do that,” Purton said.

“It was what it was, I just had to accept that. Thankfully, it came back.”

Purton has been synonymous with Hong Kong International Races success with eight previous triumphs on the jurisdiction's most prestigious day.

The New South Welshman savored Vase glory with Dominant (2013) and Exultant (2018), the Mile with Ambitious Dragon (2012), Beauty Only (2016) and Beauty Generation (2018), Sprint with Aerovelocity (2014 and 2016) and the Cup with Time Warp in 2017.

Purton stalked the 2019 Cup winner Win Bright in the run before peeling widest in a riveting global contest.

Japan's three runners finished in the top four, with Danon Premium trailing Magical to the line.

“She (Normcore) had to fight for it, Win Bright gave a really sharp kick and his love for Sha Tin was starting to show through,” Purton said.

“But she was determined and inch by inch, she just kept putting herself in the frame.”

Trained by Kiyoshi Hagiwara, Normcore ran fourth to Admire Mars in last year's Hong Kong Mile.

Hagiwara has handled several topliners since taking out a trainers' licence in 1996, including Logi Universe, Le Vent Se Leve and Obruchev.

Ryan Moore said a slackening mid-race tempo wrecked Magical's chances of becoming the first horse trained by Aidan O'Brien to snare eight G1s.

“There was a lack of pace so therefore I couldn't go where I wanted to go,” Moore said.

“She ran well.”

Normcore is the first filly or mare to win a HKIR since Ed Dunlop's champion Snow Fairy took the Cup in 2010.

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Hometown Hero Golden Sixty Runs Win Streak To 11 With Hong Kong Mile Triumph

They came, they saw, they tried to blunt his dash, but they failed to conquer Golden Sixty: Hong Kong's burgeoning hometown hero dismantled his international rivals in the HK$25 million G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin with an exquisite performance.

“He's amazing, isn't he?” jockey Vincent Ho said, moments after the brilliant 5-year-old unleashed an unanswerable burst of speed that carried him to a dazzling two-length victory.

For Ho and trainer Francis Lui, Golden Sixty's success is a first at the Hong Kong International Races.

Lui was delighted and relieved to see his standout galloper seal a 14th win from 15 starts, and surpass the great Beauty Generation's 10 wins in a row with his 11th-straight triumph – in Hong Kong, only the near-immortal Silent Witness has won more races on the bounce.

“I can have a good sleep tonight!” Lui declared. “I'm very happy – at the moment, I don't know what to say, (my heart) is still pumping. As a jockey, as a trainer, as an owner, you're dreaming of this.

“I was worried about the horses from Japan and Ireland but now, after this race, he has shown me that he's a champion.”

Lui's pre-race concerns were natural with Japan's 2019 victor Admire Mars in the line-up along with last-start G1 Breeders' Cup Mile winner Order Of Australia, from Ireland's powerful Aidan O'Brien stable. But his anxiety proved needless, the invaders were no match for last season's BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) winner, who races in the silks of Stanley Chan Ka-leung.

With speed enough to have posted nine wins at 1200m and 1400m, and the fortitude to last the local Derby's 10 furlongs, the Medaglia d'Oro gelding seems to have it all.

When the gates crashed back, Ho exhibited apposite confidence on the 1.3 favorite, allowing his mount to settle third-last – seven lengths off the lead – while Ryan Moore pressed Admire Mars forward to stalk outside the front-running Ka Ying Star.

“They went a little bit hard early and I was quite far back, so I just let him slide through from the 600 (meters) and it only took him a few strides to almost get to them. I tried to save him until I let him down and when I asked for him, he did it really well, he gave me a really big effort,” Ho said with typically deadpan understatement.

Golden Sixty cruised around the field turning for home; the Australian-bred bounded rapidly through his gears and when he hit top speed, his stride was a blur of quickening power.

“When I hit the top of the straight, I knew,” Ho said. “I was just cruising and I didn't think anyone could beat him in that sort of sprint.

“He's a horse that really wants to compete, he's the best horse in Hong Kong at the moment. Today is all about him.”

Golden Sixty's winning time was 1:33.45; his closing 400m spilt, a strong 22.05.

Such a performance, with the admirable G1 FWD Champions Mile winner Southern Legend second and Admire Mars a battling third, sees Golden Sixty take up the baton as Hong Kong's latest star from the once imperious Beauty Generation.

Connections announced shortly after the race that 8-year-old Beauty Generation will race no more. Hong Kong's highest-rated galloper of all time – rated the equal of another great miler, Able Friend – bowed out with a meritorious fifth place and a Hong Kong career tally of 18 wins from 34 starts, as well as the local all-time record prize money haul of HK$106,233,750.

At his peak, Beauty Generation was an incredible force around Sha Tin, claiming two editions of the Hong Kong Mile among his eight G1 wins for trainer John Moore – his last three races came under the care of trainer David Hayes.

“I knew it may be on the table,” said Zac Purton, who rode the Kwok family's champion 28 times.

Beauty Generation

“It's a bitter-sweet day. It's a sad end. He's been the best horse for me in my career. I'm certainly going to miss him. He was brave again today and wherever he may go in the world, I'm sure I'll go and visit him in his paddock one day.”

Beauty Generation was high-class in Australia before scaling Hong Kong's heights but never ventured away from Sha Tin to test his mettle as a champion overseas. Lui said when pressed that the Golden Sixty team will consider off-shore options in the future but not while the world remains in its pandemic-induced turmoil.

“Not this season,” he said. “Because of the virus, we'll keep him in Hong Kong this season.”

With Ireland's Mogul carrying off the Hong Kong Vase and Japanese raiders Danon Smash and Normcore capturing the Hong Kong Sprint and Hong Kong Cup respectively, Hong Kong needed a big performance from its latest home town hero.

Golden Sixty delivered just that, and with it, the promise that Hong Kong has unearthed yet another athlete to rank among the world's best.

The post Hometown Hero Golden Sixty Runs Win Streak To 11 With Hong Kong Mile Triumph appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Moore Becomes Fourth Jockey To Complete ‘Grand Slam’ Of Hong Kong International Races

Ryan Moore completed the Group 1 “Grand Slam” of Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) – the Vase, Sprint, Mile and Cup.

Aidan O'Brien's number one jockey picked up his third Hong Kong Vase aboard Coolmore's Mogul, before going on to seal his first win in the Hong Kong Sprint with Japanese raider Danon Smash.

Moore had previously partnered Snow Fairy (2010) and Maurice (2016) to Hong Kong Cup wins, while Maurice also landed the Hong Kong Mile with the three-time UK Champion Jockey aboard in 2015.

Zac Purton, Joao Moreira and Gerald Mosse are the other three jockeys to have also completed the HKIR “Grand Slam.”

Moore first travelled to Hong Kong in 2001 as a teenager, never dreaming he would rise to acclaim as the Longines World's Best Jockey among a host of other accolades.

“I've always loved coming to Hong Kong. I came here when I was 18 and they were doing the breeze-up sale and I've always loved coming here,” he said.

“I hadn't even rode as an apprentice then and I remember coming here and watching Douglas (Whyte) ride all the winners. It was a different time but it was always a great atmosphere and you know how much it means to the punters here. They love their racing and it will be great to have them back here.

“It's fantastic racing and competitive racing. It's been a shame I wasn't able to get over here earlier this year but hopefully we can come again. The year for everyone has been a mess but we're very thankful to everyone at the Hong Kong Jockey Club for getting me over. It's been a big effort and I can't really stress enough the time they've put in. We're very thankful to get us over here.”

Following Moore's two Group 1 wins, Golden Sixty, last season's Hong Kong Derby winner, put in a scintillating performance in the Hong Kong Mile to confirm his class at the highest level. It was the son of Medaglia d'Oro's 14^th win in 15 starts.

Race reply: https://twitter.com/HongKong_Racing/status/1338030726739013634

In the final Group 1 of the day, Ireland's Magical was sent off favourite and battled well to finish third, but the race went the way of Japanese raider Normcore.

Race reply: https://twitter.com/HongKong_Racing/status/1338047740522225665

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Soumillon Clears Quarantine

Jockey Christophe Soumillon told Hong Kong Jockey Club officials that a negative result was returned on his most recent COVID-19 test and with that, he has completed all necessary quarantine requirements as set out by the Hong Kong SAR Government. The Club will require that Soumillon take further tests beginning Saturday in accordance with established protocols and the earliest he may accept mounts will be Sunday, Dec. 20. The Belgian is on a short-term contract through Feb. 14 and was to ride Sunday’s Longines HKIR, but was stood down Thursday after failing to gain clearance from quarantine. In related news, jockey Zac Purton was fined HK$40,000 for a tweet that had the potential to “create uncertainty regarding the continuance of racing in Hong Kong in the immediate future.”

The post Soumillon Clears Quarantine appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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