Zac Purton

Grateful Heart, Scores Of Fun bid for Million Challenge glory

Posted on February 24, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Championship-leading trainer John Size is placing his faith in Scores Of Fun’s exceptional resilience as the sprinter shapes to bid for ultimate glory in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge at Happy Valley tonight (Wednesday, 24 February). The four-year-old will line up for his 12th start of the season when he contests the Class 3[...]

Posted on February 20, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Excellent Proposal’s rousing Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) victory set the benchmark for this year’s BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and while the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) this Sunday (21 February) will paint a clearer picture for next month’s HK$24 million event, there is still sufficient time for a contender to emerge from the[...]

Posted on February 18, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Declaring Golden Sixty the equal of the most outstanding milers in recent Hong Kong history, Zac Purton has warned against being too conscious of the glamour galloper in Sunday’s Group 1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin. Purton will partner Tony Cruz’s reigning Horse of the Year Exultant in an intriguing clash[...]

Posted on February 17, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Derek Leung has been in fine form recently with five wins from the last three race meetings and this Wednesday (17 February) at Happy Valley he is looking to maintain his momentum with a full book of nine rides as he eyes a new personal best. “I will do my best (to beating his personal[...]

Posted on February 16, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Tony Cruz maintains Beauty Smile is still a work in progress after the Irish import’s dominant performance to claim the Class 1 Chinese New Year Cup Handicap (1400m) with the four-year-old impressively eclipsing older and more accomplished opposition. Contesting only his ninth start in Hong Kong, the chestnut was given a superb ride by Cruz’s[...]

Posted on February 12, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Joao Moreira has extended his lead in the Hong Kong jockeys’ premiership with another display of dominance, notching a Happy Valley treble to lead reigning champion Zac Purton by 30 winners – 89 to 59. Marching relentlessly to a fourth Hong Kong jockeys’ crown, Moreira again snared riding honours with victory on Daily Beauty and[...]

Posted on February 4, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Happy Valley sprint specialist Grateful Heart has built an almost impregnable buffer in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge after a fourth victory at the city circuit propelled the Australian import to an imposing lead in the HK$1 million series. Perfectly ridden by Zac Purton, Danny Shum’s speedster posted his first victory over 1000m to[...]

Posted on February 3, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Inner Flame worked in first-time blinkers at Sha Tin last Thursday (28 January) morning and trainer Douglas Whyte is pinning his hopes on not only the headgear but a change of scenery to reignite the lightly-raced gelding’s career as he makes his Happy Valley debut in the first section of the Class 3 Lai Chi[...]

Posted on February 1, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Glorious Dragon has avenged defeat in the 2020 Group 3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) by denying Exultant a third win in the staying feature while delivering Matthew Poon one of the most important triumphs of his career. Beaten by Tony Cruz’s Exultant in the same race last year, Glorious Dragon swept past the reigning champion[...]

Posted on January 29, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Zac Purton is hopeful Exultant can reprise a winning habit in the Group 3 Centenary Vase Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (31 January) despite concerns Tony Cruz’s staying flagbearer’s elite qualities are in decline. Triumphant in the past two editions of the Centenary Vase, Exultant’s hopes of a trio of consecutive successes in[...]

Posted on January 23, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Francis Lui is hoping for a belated birthday celebration on Sunday (24 January) after watching Hong Kong star Golden Sixty breeze through his final piece of trackwork ahead of a much-anticipated competitive return in the Group 1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) at Sha Tin. Freshened after claiming the Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile at Sha[...]

Posted on January 22, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Jolly Banner might be in the twilight of his career as a nine-year-old but that didn’t stop him from snaring second in last month’s Group 1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) against an international field and his recent form has trainer Ricky Yiu brimming with optimism ahead of Sunday’s (24 January) Group 1 Centenary Sprint[...]

Posted on January 16, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Beauty Generation, one of the greatest champions in the history of Hong Kong racing, will be farewelled in a special ceremony on Sunday, 24 January. Twice Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year, Beauty Generation will return to Sha Tin Racecourse – the scene of all of his extraordinary career highlights – for one final appearance[...]

Posted on January 16, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Kings Shield (133lb) has developed into a dominant force on the dirt in Hong Kong and this Sunday (17 January) at Sha Tin he’ll look to stamp his authority on the surface once again in the Class 1 Egret Handicap (dirt, 1650m), doing so with a trip to Dubai on the radar. “Everyone knows he[...]

Posted on January 11, 2021
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Reprising a latent winning habit, Not Usual Talent’s gate-crashing victory in the Class 2 Choi Hung Handicap (1400m) ended an 11-race losing streak while delivering a reality check to the claims of a string of Four-Year-Old Classic Series aspirants. Winless since July 2019, the former New Zealander saluted under a perfect ride from Frenchman Tony[...]

Posted on December 31, 2020
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

Yet to be convinced of Czarson’s affinity with Sha Tin’s turf track, Zac Purton is hopeful the brilliant last-start winner is able to transfer compelling all-weather track form to grass in the Class 2 Cherry Handicap (1200m) on New Year’s Day. Purton was aboard the gelding when a runaway five and a quarter length winner[...]

Posted on December 27, 2020
in Hong Kong Horse Racing News

As has become customary, Joao Moreira was the headline act with a Boxing Day quartet but, in Richard Gibson’s eyes, mafoo (stable assistant) Josephine Kwok deserved acclaim as the unsung heroine at Sha Tin on Saturday (26 December) following Wellington’s stunning win in the Class 3 Long Ke Handicap (1000m). Posting his fourth win from[...]

Grateful Heart, Scores Of Fun bid for Million Challenge glory

Chilean triple Group 1 winner Panfield to put HK Derby credentials on the line

Zac Purton plots a Group 1 Hong Kong Gold Cup upset on Exultant

‘Confidence’ the key as Derek Leung targets personal best

Tony Cruz and Matthew Chadwick combine with Beauty Smile to win Chinese New Year Cup

Moreira boosts lead in jockeys’ championship with another treble

Million Challenge at Grateful Heart’s mercy after fourth win at Happy Valley

Blinkers on as Whyte looks to reignite Inner Flame at Happy Valley

Poon and Lui combine with Glorious Dragon to snare Centenary Vase Handicap

Purton hopeful Exultant can strike a third time in the Centenary Vase

Birthday boy Francis Lui looks forward to a weekend of extended celebrations

Veteran Banner looks to fly for Yiu in Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup

Beauty Generation to be farewelled at Sha Tin in special ceremony

Dubai beckons for Kings Shield but first it’s Sunday’s dirt feature

Not Usual Talent upstages Four-Year-Old Classic Series hopefuls

Zac Purton hopeful Czarson can make his mark on grass

Richard Gibson praises mafoo as Wellington makes triumphant return

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