Purton’s IJC quest gets a fillip
HONG KONG Eager to build momentum after missing two meetings, Zac Purton reasserted his dominance over the Hong Kong jockey ranks with a treble at Sha Tin on Sunday.
The victories also provided the best warm-up for the Australian’s quest for a fourth Longines International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley on Wednesday. He lifted the IJC crown in 2017, 2020 and 2021.
He will be competing against a cluster of elite jockeys, including Ryan Moore, Hollie Doyle, Jamie Kah, James McDonald, Yuga Kawada, Tom Marquand, Matthew Chadwick, Mickael Barzalona, Vincent Ho, Silvestre de Sousa and Hugh Bowman.
Boosting his season’s tally to 54 winners – 32 ahead of nearest pursuer Ho – Purton searched for rhythm and winners at Sha Tin – and found both – after missing two meetings because of Covid-19.
“It’s just good to be back. I want to get some rhythm and consistency back,” he said.
“I had to miss a couple of meetings and was just out of my physical routine – going to the physio, doing the things I normally do, and I wanted to get some normality back into my programme to just get rolling again.
“I’ve got to turn it up again, if I can.”
Purton’s winners came from Handsome Twelve, Marado and Amazing Victory. - HKJC
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