Hong Kong season review: Zac Purton shines at end of dramatic and gruelling year

Zac Purton sailed into the record books as a five-time champion jockey on an astonishing final day of the most demanding season in five decades of professional racing in Hong Kong.

When 199-1 winner Encountered crossed the line in the last race at Sha Tin on Saturday, it summed up the frustration and unpredictable nature of a racing year hit by Covid regulation so severe that jockeys, trainers and officials were required to undergo daily testing just to go to work.

Remarkably, not a single day in the 88-meeting fixture list was lost to Covid, and Hong Kong punters bet a record £15 billion on 836 races locally and 281 overseas (simulcast), which represented a three per cent season-on-season increase in turnover.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chief executive of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), paid tribute to those responsible: “We are gratified once more by the collective discipline and togetherness of all participants – trainers, jockeys, owners, employees and customers – which has allowed us to continue showcasing Hong Kong’s most popular sport to the world.

“As always, Hong Kong’s can-do spirit is at the core of our operation and I am thankful for the sacrifices made by all involved to keep racing going,” he added.

Hong Kong’s global profile is important for it to retain its hard-earned position high in the international order. It was a blow that no foreign runners came for FWD Champions Day in April because of government Covid restrictions but the HKJC has already announced increased prize-money for the International Races (HKIR) in December – £11.8 million across four races – to entice visitors to return.

Two international stars already well established in Hong Kong, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira, arrived at the last day of the season last Saturday level on 132 winners each. However, the much-anticipated final day shoot-out between the riders proved anti-climactic.

Purton fired in two quick winners, Turquoise Alpha and Never Too Soon, to give him a crucial advantage halfway through the card, while Moreira had failed to land a blow. Then came the decider, the Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Association Trophy, in which Purton rode the favourite Turin Redsun, an ex-John and Thady Gosden import who had previously finished sixth in Perotto’s Britannia at Royal Ascot last year.

Moreira, aboard second favourite Money Catcher, found himself in front as they raced up the straight. Acting on impulse, he then went for home, only for Purton and Turin Redsun to draw alongside in the final furlong.

Fifty yards out, Purton knew the championship was his, but Moreira made him fight all the way to the line. Only a short head separated them, but Purton had triumphed at the end of an incredibly tough season for both riders.

Hong Kong racing has benefited enormously from having two such great competitors. Their rivalry and professionalism over such a long period is equal to anything witnessed in Hong Kong. Perhaps then, it was appropriate that Turin Redsun, the title clincher, is trained by Douglas Whyte, whom Purton beat to claim his first championship in 2013-14.

It is well known there was no love lost between Whyte and Purton when they rode against each other. The story goes that when Whyte started training, Purton turned up at his stable one day and said: ‘You need me.’

As Turin Redsun and connections stood for the obligatory post-race photos, with trainer and jockey side by side, Purton acknowledged the irony: "It’s much nicer to be his friend than his foe."

The jockeys' championship became a saga, with twists that would have done any soap scriptwriter proud. The lead changed six times during the course of the season, with each jockey suffering untimely setbacks.

Purton missed eight meetings after suffering multiple injuries in a four-horse horror fall in the Hong Kong Sprint at Sha Tin in December, while Moreira fell foul of the stewards and was suspended for six meetings in February. The Magic Man later missed a further two meetings after suffering chest pains riding in a race at Happy Valley.

After being crowned champion for the fifth time, Purton paid tribute to Moreira: “We’ve both had our health issues, so it’s been really, really tough. We both deserve to win it. It’s really tough that only one person can.

"It’s energy-sapping and we’re both probably at the end of our tethers, so it’s nice that we can close it today, both go on holiday and both come back again next season.”

When Moreira started his ban in February, Purton was 18 wins behind his arch rival, appearing to face an impossible task. That he was able to come back from that position to claim a fifth title, nursing injuries from the fall that required physio for months on end, is the mark of the jockey and the man.

Purton went on to register a four-timer on the final day, his last winner coming aboard Lucky Sweynesse, whom he rode in typically vigorous style to overcome a wide draw. The winless Moreira ended the day as he started on 132 with Purton four clear on 136.

Frankie Lor (second left) and Zac Purton (second right): champion trainer and jockey respectivelyCredit: Hkjc

Other highlights during an eventful year included Frankie Lor taking his first trainers’ championship with 90 wins, in only his fifth season with a licence. Lor thanked the HKJC, who have employed him for 41 years, as an apprentice, journeyman jockey and assistant trainer before he branched out on his own.

Lor, 56, is a local success story, as too is Matthew Chadwick, who with 55 wins collected the coveted Tony Cruz Award, presented annually to the most successful local jockey. He defeated Golden Sixty’s jockey Vincent Ho (50 wins).

Golden Sixty suffered his first defeat in three seasons but went on to claim his second successive Horse of the Year trophy. The Derby winner Romantic Warrior was crowned Champion Middle-Distance horse, Wellington the Champion Sprinter and Russian Emperor the Champion Stayer.

The 2022-23 season starts on Sunday, September 11.

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