Purton seals second title as departing Moreira fails to find magic finish

Zac Purton sealed a second Hong Kong jockeys' championship when he came off best in an absorbing title tussle with Joao Moreira, after which he described dethroning the 'Magic Man' as "doing the impossible".

Purton led Moreira by four winners (135-131) at the start of Sha Tin's 11-race card on Sunday and may have felt the heat when the Brazilian got off to a flyer, landing the opener on Cash Courier.

Sha Tin results

However, the next six races provided a stalemate before the Australian captured the crown when striking on Rise High in a mile handicap, giving him an unassailable four-winner lead with just three contests to go, although Moreira did manage to win two of those.

A Royal Ascot winner on Little Bridge in the 2012 King's Stand, Purton found himself 15 winners behind Moreira on April 15, but kept tabs and on June 10 forged into the lead after a fixture at Sha Tin.

He was then able to repel his record-breaking rival, who became the darling of the Hong Kong faithful when storming to three riding titles following his move from Singapore in 2013, excelling with an astonishing eight winners on one card last year.

Moreira, however, was denied a fourth straight championship before his move to Japan, which might leave Purton as the one to beat in the 2018-19 campaign.

Weather the storm

"A month ago I thought I'd be able to win it quite comfortably and then Joao got a second wind and made a run at me," said Purton, who moved to Hong Kong ten years ago.

"He's definitely had the better book of rides the last month. I had to weather the storm and knuckle down and get the job done. I came here today with a nice lead – four in front – but he had a very strong book of rides and I thought I could ride one [winner], maybe two if I was lucky.

"As things turned out, one was enough, and it's a nice, fitting end to what's been a great season."

A two-meeting suspension in June did not help Moreira as Purton started to fire.

"When I was 15 behind at the beginning of May I thought it was a bit late, we were too close to the end of the season, but I had a terrific month in May and rode a ton of winners," the new champion added on Racing UK.

"I got a lot of momentum going and a real roll on. That's what set up the last couple of months.

"I've had a lot of support and opportunities and things have panned out well."

Outlining why the second crown was a little sweeter, Purton said: "I always thought I'd win the first title. I was very comfortable with the way things were going, but this one is like I've done the impossible."

The race for the trainers' title was more straightforward, with John Size clinching it for a tenth time.

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