Purton Tops Moreira in International Jockey Challenge

It was locals first and second as Zac Purton edged Joao Moreira to claim the Longines International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley Racecourse Dec. 9 with the aid of a crucial final-leg dead heat.

Moreira leads Purton decisively in the local jockey standings, with the Brazilian landing 49 wins to Purton's 18. But it was Purton atop the Challenge tally with 20 points to his rival's 18. After that pair, it was down to Hong Kong-based Alexis Badel and England's Hollie Doyle, tied at 12, and William Buick and Ryan Moore with six points each.

The championship, a kickoff feature for the Longines Hong Kong International Races set for Dec. 13 at Sha Tin Racecourse, was revamped this year to promote a more equitable distribution of mounts. In past years, jockeys were assigned horses in a blind draw, occasionally leaving stellar riders atop demonstrably inferior stock.

Jockey competitions are a hot and well-wagered commodity in Hong Kong, so the Hong Kong Jockey Club devised a system to encourage parity, with handicappers doing their best to match riders with chances through the four-race series. The HKJC also added purse money to encourage owners to enter better stock and ponied up cash rewards for winning trainers.

The plan worked to the extent that four riders won the four legs—Moreira the first, Badel the second, Purton the third, and Doyle the fourth. And the outcome was uncertain until Purton secured a dead heat for third in Round 4, earning two points, as Flying Bonus faded from the lead in the final 100 meters, then barely held on to get a share of third.

Doyle is the third female rider in the competition's history after Emma-Jayne Wilson in 2007 and Chantal Sutherland in 2009.

"It's amazing, "Doyle said. "It's just great to be here, and it's the icing on the cake."

Purton, who also won the Championship in 2017, said his troubles this season have a lot to do with a bad run of luck at the barrier draws.

"Then I come here tonight, and, as I said, they weren't the best rides in the race, but the barriers gave them the chance to be competitive. I just needed a bit of luck, and things went my way," Purton said.

Both Purton and Moreira said going in that they expected a competitive series.

"There's no doubt we can have some fun," Moreira said. "These races are going to be very even races. From the first to the fifth horse, there won't be much difference. Luck is going to play (a factor) in this game."