Champ Purton goes bang, bang, bang, bang

Champion jockey Zac Purton got off to a brilliant start in the 2024-25 Hong Kong racing season at Sha Tin racecourse on Sept 8.

The Australian, who is gunning for his eighth jockeys’ gong and chasing Douglas Whyte’s record tally of 1,813 winners, saluted four times in the 10-race programme, on a good to yielding track, which included the HK$3.72 million (S$622,000) HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap with favourite Ka Ying Rising.

The David Hayes-trained four-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, humping a hefty 135lb (61kg) and giving weight to all nine rivals in the Class 1 1,200m race, always looked the winner as he tracked stablemate Harmony and Blessed (Keagan De Melo) until the turn for home before clearing away from the field in the third event of the afternoon.

The son of Shamexpress (same sire as Kranji star Lim’s Saltoro) allayed Purton’s pre-race concern about the top impost as he went to the line with 1¼ lengths to spare from the late-closing, Pierre Ng-trained Beauty Waves (Alexis Badel), who had only 115lb on his back.

“No horse has won this race as top weight,” Purton had said.

“So, it’s a big challenge. Obviously, it’s a race that suits those younger horses coming through that are progressive.

“Ka Ying Rising falls into that category but he has to carry top weight (135lb) and no horse has carried top weight and won this race. That tells you how big a task it is going to be for him.”

Since 1997, only two horses – The Duke in 2004 and Winners Way in 2018 – have carried 130lb and triumphed but neither carried the No. 1 saddlecloth.

Ka Ying Rising was resuming after a stellar debut season, crowned by five wins from seven starts and a rise from 52 points in the ratings to 111.

Reinforcing the challenge facing the 2023-24 Hong Kong Champion Griffin and Most Improved Horse were the most recent two editions of the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup.

Lucky Sweynesse (2022) and Victor The Winner (2023) both carried 115lb to victory and proceeded to register Group 1 wins in the same season.

In the end, Ka Ying Rising “defied logic”, according to Hayes, and took his record to six wins from eight outings.

The 41-year-old Purton had given punters a rousing start in the opening event when he guided Go Go Go, carrying saddle-cloth No. 8, to a comfortable victory in the Class 5 1,600m event.

The Chris So-trained galloper was well up in fourth spot for most of the way before surging ahead 250m from home.

The Hayes-trained outsider Sunny Baby (Karis Teetan) launched a late challenge but was half-a-length in arrears at the post.

Purton also had the crowd cheering in Race 4, a Class 4 1,000m race over the straight course, when he guided the Dennis Yip-trained hot favourite Fast Network to an emphatic victory.

He tracked the Whyte-trained Cheval Valiant (Matthew Chadwick) until the 400m before drawing away to win with 1½ lengths to spare.

Purton was then denied in Races 6 and 7 when his mounts found one to beat.

In Race 6, a Class 4 1,400m event, Ng’s Fighting Machine was shouted the winner close to home but found no answer to the Hayes-trained outsider Amazing Run (Lyle Hewitson).

In the following event, a Class 2 1,400m affair, Purton was aboard Superb Boy. The Francis Lui-trained galloper was always in the hunt but found the Manfred Man-trained Chiu Chow Spirit just too strong in the run home.

It was left to the final event of the meeting – the first of 88 race days of the season that ends on July 16, 2025 – for Purton to grab his fourth winner of the afternoon astride Gorgeous Win.

The Danny Shum-trained galloper made light of his 135lb top impost to deny favourite Glory Elite (Derek Leung) by one length in the Class 3 1,200m event.

Purton has taken his tally to 1,744 and is just 69 shy of Whyte’s all-time Hong Kong record.

Hong Kong racing continues on Sept 11 with Happy Valley’s first meeting of the season.

marctan@sph.com.sg