Zac Purton Edges Joao Moreira in Hong Kong Jockey Race

After a season-long duel, Zac Purton ended Joao Moreira's run as Hong Kong's champion jockey as he held on through the final program of the year July 15 at Sha Tin for a two-win edge.

Purton had only one winner on the 11-race card Sunday, but that was enough to survive a triple by Moreira. Purton ended the year with 136 winners to 134 for the three-time champion Moreira, who is leaving Hong Kong for new challenges in Japan. Demonstrating the duo's dominance, Keris Teetan finished third with 52 winners.

"It's been a long, damp day," Purton said after he competed through the rain. "It's good to finally put it to bed. It's a relief. Joao's a fierce competitor, and we both gave it our absolute all."

Moreira, a fan favorite since his arrival from Singapore, was sent off with a rousing ovation.

"The relationship I have with the fans here in Hong Kong is something special, and I really do love them all," the Brazilian said. "All of these great times I've had over here, including today, it is something that I won't just remember, but it's something that will always sit in my heart."

The trainers' race was decided long before the final day. John Size finished at 87 victories, and Frankie Lor came in second with 65.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club reported total turnover for the season of HK$124.282 billion (about US$15.9 billion). That's a 5.6% increase compared with the 2016-17 campaign. Hong Kong wagering dipped 3.4% but was more than offset by a 154.8% jump in commingling turnover.

"Commingling is quickly changing the global landscape, and that is seen in the fact that it made up 13.3% of our season's turnover this year compared to 5.5% last year," said Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, HKJC's CEO. "It is now a significant driver to Hong Kong's turnover, and that is due to the ever-increasing international interest in our racing product, which is proving to be attractive as an exciting sports option founded upon the highest integrity."

The HKJC negotiated for years with the Hong Kong authorities to win approval for commingling and has aggressively pursued that revenue stream, announcing in June an agreement to host a "world pool" for Royal Ascot wagering.

"This trend comes at a time when our customers are showing a greater appreciation for international racing," said Engelbrecht-Bresges, who added that the Royal Ascot deal will "further strengthen our position as the international hub of commingling."

The 2017-18 season featured a new "Champions Day" in late April, which combined three group 1 races into a bookend festival for December's Longines Hong Kong International Races. "We will further expand this by announcing a new sponsor soon," Engelbrecht-Bresges said.

Attendance for the season was up 1.9% to 18,400 per meeting at the in-town Happy Valley, which races primarily on Wednesday nights and markets heavily to young fans, and down 2.8% to 28,000 at Sha Tin Racecourse in the New Territories, the site of the major international races.