Will Ryan Moore make his injury comeback next month? Leading rider announced in line-up for lucrative Hong Kong jockeys' challenge

Ryan Moore could make his comeback from injury in Hong Kong next month after he was announced among a stellar line-up for this year's Longines International Jockeys' Championship.

Moore has not ridden since August after suffering a leg injury, which Aidan O'Brien said would keep his number one rider out for the rest of the season, with Christophe Soumillon deputising in his absence.

However, Moore's return to the saddle could come before the end of the year, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club announcing he has been invited to take part in the International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley on December 10.

The HKJC said Moore's participation will be subject to his final confirmation. If he were to participate, he would feature among the world's best riders in the unique competition, with the likes of Mickael Barzalona, Zac Purton, Joao Moreira and James McDonald in action.

List of invited jockeys for the 2025 Longines IJC

• Mickael Barzalona
• Zac Purton
• Rachael King
• Joao Moreira
• Christophe Lemaire
• Ryan Moore
• Hollie Doyle
• William Buick
• James McDonald
• Umberto Rispoli

What happened to Moore?

The shock injury news came at the end of August when O'Brien revealed that Moore had suffered a stress fracture in his right femur, which he had been struggling with since the Irish Derby weekend in June.

O'Brien also said that when Garden Of Eden whipped around and unseated Moore before the German Oaks, it may have aggravated the injury. At the time he said that Moore would be "very lucky" to ride again this season.

Moore missed out on plenty of big-race wins for O'Brien during the autumn, with Soumillon partnering Delacroix to victory in the Irish Champion Stakes before bagging Group 1 wins on Arc weekend and most recently steering Gstaad to success in Friday's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Gstaad: one of a number of big rides that Ryan Moore has missed out onCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

However, he could be one of three British-based riders for the International Jockeys' Challenge alongside Hollie Doyle and William Buick. Doyle began her short-term stint in Hong Kong at Happy Valley on Wednesday, riding a winner, while Buick is fresh from Breeders' Cup Mile glory on Notable Speech.

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What have the Hong Kong Jockey Club said?

The HKJC is hoping Moore will make it back from injury in time to take part in the high-stakes competition, with the four participating races are worth a combined HK$7.5 million (£740,000). Moore has been a regular rider in the event previously.

Andrew Harding, executive director of racing for the HKJC said: "The Longines International Jockeys’ Championship is the world’s most coveted such competition and this year we have one of the strongest jockey line-ups in recent years.

"It features James McDonald, Mickael Barzalona, Ryan Moore and William Buick – who currently fill the top four in the Longines World’s Best Jockey standings. Between them this year they have won a string of the world’s leading Group 1 contests.

"The line-up will be boosted, of course, by the inclusion of two-time Longines IJC winner Ryan Moore, and we’ll keep our fingers crossed that he recovers sufficiently to be able to participate."

While it is unclear if Moore will be fit in time for the IJC, he has previously spoken out in support of the competition. 

He has missed only one edition since 2006 and said last year: "I’ve always seen it as a privilege to be asked to ride in the Longines IJC, and all the time I’m able to and I’m wanted, I’ll never say no."

Ryan Moore: "I’ve always seen it as a privilege to be asked to ride in the Longines IJC"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

What is Moore's record in Hong Kong?

Moore won back-to-back editions of the IJC in 2009 and 2010 and has also won multiple Group 1s in Hong Kong.

They include every top-level contest at the prestigious Hong Kong International meeting at Sha Tin, which takes place on December 14. He has won the Hong Kong Vase three times, with all of those wins coming for O'Brien courtesy of Highland Reel twice (2015, 2017) and Mogul (2020).

Highland Reel and Ryan Moore following their second victory in the Hong Kong VaseCredit: Vince Caligiuri (Getty Images)

Moore has also landed the Sprint and Cup twice and the Mile once, with his other major wins in Hong Kong including the Hong Kong Derby, Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Hong Kong Classic Cup and Hong Kong Classic Mile.

Who else may Moore ride in Hong Kong this year?

Should Moore be fit enough to ride at Happy Valley, he could also have a strong book of rides at Sha Tin four days later with Ballydoyle well-entered across Hong Kong's most notable card.

O'Brien has five entered in the 1m2f Hong Kong Cup, including dual Oaks winner Minnie Hauk and Los Angeles. The pair also feature among three O'Brien entries in the Hong Kong Vase over 1m4f.

The Lion In Winter, who has hit the frame in three consecutive top-level mile races, most recently when third in the Breeders' Cup Mile on Saturday, is O'Brien's sole entry in the Hong Kong Mile. The trainer is not represented in the Hong Kong Sprint.

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