In the last (5.50pm), the Class 3 Riding High Together Handicap (1200m), Moreira will partner second starter Master Albert (126lb) , third to Perpetual Joyance when a 2.1 favourite on debut.

With 102 wins on the board, Purton has four race meetings in which to attempt to match his previous Hong Kong best of 112, achieved in his championship-winning 2013/14 season.

Joao Moreira’s fondness for My Darling’s (133lb) qualities sees the champion jockey side with the John Size-trained galloper for an eighth time in Saturday’s feature, the Class 2 Hong Kong Reunification Cup Handicap

Grace Heart brought up the 400th winner at Happy Valley for trainer Caspar Fownes, renowned as the “King of the Valley” at the meeting on Wednesday night.

It was all about milestones at Happy Valley on Wednesday night as Zac Purton hit a century for the season.

The Champion Awards Judging Panel has elected the final nominees for The Hong Kong Jockey Club Champion Awards 2016/2017 as follows:

Trainer John Size set a new record for most winners in a season with his 92nd victory of the term at Sha Tin on Sunday and perhaps it was fitting that it took a masterful training effort to produce the milestone as Thewizardofoz powered clear to take out the G3 Premier Cup Handicap (1400m), the final Group race of the season.

Horse Of Fortune (130lb) fought his way to a thrilling win in the Group 3 Premier Plate Handicap (1800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, but while that admirable player was enjoying the spotlight, the leading man was acting the villain on the backstretch.

The Hong Kong  Club hosted a special ceremony at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday to bid farewell to Aerovelocity, 2014/15 Champion Sprinter.

The field of eight in the G3 Premier Cup Handicap (1400m) at Sha Tin on Sunday features the Tony Cruz-trained Winner’s Way (120lb) who provides a form link to this season’s Four-Year-Old Classic Series.

Leading handler John Size is in the box-seat to set a new record for most wins in a Hong Kong season by any trainer at Sunday’s Sha Tin meeting with a strong hand of nine runners across eight races, ranging from Group-race entrants to promising three-year-old's.

Trainer Danny Shum scored an eventful double at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, with the handler jokingly suggesting that his winners Sparkling Talent and Lucky Wan Feng should swap names to better describe the manner of their victories.

The expected story heading into the Happy Valley meeting on Wednesday night was John Size’s chase of Cruz’s record for most winners in a season for a trainer.

Pakistan Star will attempt to round off a fine campaign with a first Group race victory in Sunday’s (25 June) G3 Premier Plate at Sha Tin, and connections are expecting the star four-year-old to leave his five rivals reeling and a-rocking.

Aerovelocity will depart for Australia and a well-earned retirement at picturesque Muskoka Farm after a farewell ceremony at Sha Tin racecourse on Sunday, 25 June, when his army of fans will have one last opportunity to salute one of the toughest horses ever to have competed on the Hong Kong circuit.

Jockey Umberto Rispoli will be hoping he can continue his magic touch with Po Ching Treasure at Happy Valley on Wednesday night

Purton played the role of friend and foe to Size as the handler chased his own milestone, a new record for wins by any trainer in a season. The current mark of 91 was set by Tony Cruz in the 2004/05 season, and Size entered Sunday’s meeting two adrift on 89.

Trainer Paul O’Sullivan and jockey Zac Purton farewelled one of their favourite horses during the week with the retirement of two-time LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint winner Aerovelocity, but the duo quickly bounced back to dominate Sunday’s Members’ Day race meeting at Sha Tin with a four-timer each.

The featured Class 3 Members Cup Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday went to Francis Lui’s progressive four-year-old Jumbo Luck (121lb), who made it three wins from five starts with a two and a quarter length victory under Joao Moreira.

Jockey Keith Yeung remains hopeful that a pair of impressive last-start winners can help him return to the winners’ circle at Sha Tin on Sunday

Young apprentice Dylan Mo brought up a significant milestone in his developing career with a double at Wednesday night’s Happy Valley meeting, signalling the end of the rider’s 10-pound allowance and taking him to a new phase as a seven-pound claimer.

It was a night of milestones all around for Hong Kong’s apprentices – in fact, for homegrown riders all around – with the newest addition to the ranks Matthew Poon riding his inaugural Happy Valley winner at his first meeting at the city track.

In Wednesday evening’s penultimate contest at Happy Valley, the Class 2 Wyndham Handicap (1800m), Neil Callan will side with an old ally in Speedy Longwah

Zac Purton is looking to Best Step (121lb) to once again put his best foot forward. The lightly-raced three-year-old is on for a hat-trick in the finale at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, the Class 3 Staunton Handicap (1200m).

Immediately after Clipperton’s misfortune, Umberto Rispoli edged a will-he-won't-he duel to the wire in the Class 4 University Hall Handicap (1600m).

Trainer Chris So welcomed his first four-time winner of the campaign after the treble-scoring Purton utilised Best Reward’s ample stamina to take race four, the Class 4 HKU Faculty of Medicine Handicap (2200m).

Joao Moreira has never hidden his regard for Beat The Clock (128lb) and the champion jockey was verging on the effusive after the rising star posted a smart victory in this afternoon’s feature race at Sha Tin, the Class 2 Hong Kong University Alumni Association Challenge Cup Handicap (1400m).

Designs On Rome, Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year in 2014 and a four-time Group 1 winner for owner Cheung Keung-fai and trainer John Moore, has retired from racing.

Fresh from a four-timer at Sha Tin on Sunday, Umberto Rispoli swooped to claim the night’s trophy race at Happy Valley on Wednesday, the Class 3 Cricket Club Valley Stakes Handicap (1800m), atop 34/1 longshot Rickfield (129lb).

The Class 2 standout at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, the concluding Wong Nai Chung Gap Handicap (1200m) went the way of the Francis Lui-trained Convincible.

Neil Callan was sharp out of the traps at Happy Valley on Wednesday night. The Irishman hit an early Class 5 double in the opening two contests to take his season’s tally to 43, four shy of his previous best of 47, which he achieved in his first full Hong Kong campaign in 2014/15.

Jockey Sam Clipperton has had a term to remember with 39 winners to date in his debut season. However, the rider’s first Group-race score in Hong Kong on Booming Delight in the G3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday is likely to rank as the defining moment in the young Australian’s freshman spell.

Aside from feature success at Shin Tin on Sunday trainer John Moore stamped an initial claim on the 2018 BMW Hong Kong Derby as Australian import Rocketeer scored his first Hong Kong win in the Class 2 Hong Kong Young Industrialists Council Silver Jubilee Cup Handicap (2000m) over the Derby course and distance.

Satono Aladdin’s deep-closing surge sealed the G1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) at Tokyo Racecourse on Sunday as Hong Kong’s raiders finished out of the frame.

Beauty Only and Contentment, Hong Kong’s representatives in Sunday’s G1 Yasuda Kinen, on Thursday morning continued their preparations for Japan’s mile feature under the eyes of their respective trainers, Tony Cruz and John Size.

Young apprentice Matthew Poon made his first Wednesday night race meeting a memorable experience, scoring a double under lights on Sha Tin’s all-weather track on Wednesday night. 

Trainer Paul O’Sullivan admitted that he had not expected the penny to drop with Goldie Flanker so quickly, but now that the four-year-old has put three consecutive wins together, he is starting to feel that his horse can head even higher.