It was all about milestones at Happy Valley on Wednesday night as Zac Purton hit a century for the season.
Purton brought up his hundred in the night’s opener, the Class 5 Wong Chuk Wan Handicap (2200m), sauntering across the winning line on the Fownes-trained Premium Champion – Happy Valley win number 399 for the handler. It was the rider’s second triple digit return, having reached 112 when sealing the championship back in 2014.
“It’s hard for anyone to get to 100 winners,” the Australian said, “the stats tell you that, so to get to 100 again is very pleasing, it means I’ve had good support from trainers and owners and things have gone well. Hopefully next season will be the same!”
Zac Purton hits a century for the season atop Premium Champion in the opener, picture Hong Kong Jockey Club
Purton is one of only three riders to have reached a century in Hong Kong, 13-time champion Douglas Whyte and current standout Joao Moreira being the others. Moreira remained two shy of last season’s record 168 haul after a blank evening.
Two races after Premium Champion’s two and a half-length score at odds of 4.2, Purton clicked to 101 when the Dennis Yip-trained Good Choice took advantage of a smart pace to quicken from deep and surge past toiling rivals in section two of the Class 4 Tai Mong Tsai Handicap (1650m).
“The speed was on and it really played into our hands,” Purton said after the 14/1 shot had clinched his fifth win at the Valley off a quick back-up, having run a solid eighth at Happy Valley last week.
And the former champion jockey made it three on the night aboard the Benno Yung-trained Fortune Bo Bo in race five, the Class 3 Lai Chi Chong Handicap (1200m). The four-year-old showed plenty of grit, responding to a powerful Purton drive to rally and pip the Moreira-ridden Cheer Win by a short-head at odds of 4.1.
“It was a good effort because he stumbled a bit coming out of the gates and had to pick himself up,” Purton said. “No sooner had he just started to relax in front than the other horse (Gracydad) came up outside and annoyed him and sort of ran us into the ground a bit, so my horse showed a lot of heart to then fight again in the straight when he had to. He dug deep.”
Poon, meanwhile, took his tally to 19, one short of the claim-reducing 20-win mark. He kicked off with Go Go Win for trainer Ricky Yiu in race two, section one of the Tai Mong Tsai Handicap (1650m), and then teamed with Fownes in race four, the Class 4 Sham Chung Handicap (1200m), winning atop Grace Heart at odds of 3.5.
