Doyle and Marquand set for second appearance in Hong Kong Jockeys' Challenge

Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand are set for a second crack at the Longines-sponsored International Jockeys' Championship in Hong Kong when the duo will face ten rivals in the four-race event at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

Doyle fared best of the couple when finishing joint-third a year ago and as usual this year’s event features six overseas riders and six based in Hong Kong, who will battle for the HK$500,000 (£48,460) top prize – the most lucrative jockeys' challenge in the world.

Doyle said: "The International Jockeys' Challenge was absolutely awesome last year and I'm delighted to have been invited back. I was lucky enough to ride a winner in it last year and finish joint-third but hopefully I can better that.

Happy Valley Wednesday card

"Happy Valley has its demands but I enjoyed the way of riding around there and hopefully I can have a bit more luck this year."

Marquand, who finished tenth in the competition in 2020, said: "It's great to be coming back to Hong Kong in such troubled times with Covid-19, but as ever the Hong Kong Jockey Club have done a fantastic job to even to get us back again."

The rider is also set to partner Dubai Honour in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin on Sunday and added: "I'm looking forward to the IJC and also to partnering Dubai Honour in one of the international races on Sunday, so I've plenty going on and hopefully it will prove a productive trip."

Happy Valley: stages the Longines International Jockeys' Championship on WednesdayCredit: Edward Whitaker

Others among an exciting overseas cast in the IJC is Doyle and Marquand's weighing room colleague and former winner Ryan Moore, New Zealander James McDonald, Damian Lane (Australia), Mickael Barzalona (France), Lyle Hewitson (South Africa) and Yuga Kawada (Japan).

Kawada made history at the Breeders' Cup last month when Loves Only You became the first Japanese horse to win at the Championships at Del Mar.

He said: "Making history on the first Japanese horse to win at the Breeders' Cup is definitely a major highlight of my career. I'm honoured to be invited again to a stage where only the world's best jockeys are permitted to participate.

"I really want to win the IJC. I have already won the 2019 World All-Star Jockey Challenge in Japan and the 2019 Shergar Cup, but I would really like to add Hong Kong to that list."

Leading the home defence for the riders is last year's winner and four-time champion Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton, who will be joined by current champion Joao Moreira.

Completing the team for the locals is Alexis Badel, who aims to better his joint-third placing in the competition last year, and leading homegrown rider Vincent Ho.

On Monday morning the barrier draw was made for the four handicap races that make up the IJC, which are races 4,5, 7 and 8 on the ten-race card at Happy Valley on Wednesday.

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