Maintaining a high level of competition is essential if any sport is to thrive and the HKJC Licensing Committee took another notable step in that direction on Thursday by announcing that Blake Shinn and Lyle Hewitson will join the Hong Kong jockey roster from the start of next season in September.
We wish them both well and I would also like to pass on best wishes to Regan Bayliss, who suffered a hand injury at Happy Valley on Wednesday, and Victor Wong, who faces a longer road to recovery after his recent trackwork accident. As ever, I respect views expressed by others about how the Club handles information about injuries to jockeys but our priority is to follow the principle that the right to release of information lies with the individual and the family, especially in the case of more serious injuries.
Both our new riders will join us with strong credentials but they will also be well aware that the competition here is fierce and we saw the latest evidence of that this week from two men who will be seeking notable milestones at Sha Tin this Saturday.
Watching Zac Purton of late has been something special. Of course, Zac has been a world-class rider for a long time now, but there is no question that he has hit a new high this season. His confidence is clearly at an all-time high after last year’s epic title win and his record in recent weeks has been sensational, with 34 winners in the last 10 racing days and 10 from just two meetings since the start of June.
Those who suggest the best jockeys benefit from better opportunities should perhaps look at the way Zac steered Reliable Team and Golden Dash to victory from stall 11 at the Valley on Wednesday night. The very best jockeys have the skill to find a way even when the odds seem stacked against them. In a sport of incredibly fine margins they make a crucial difference and there is no question that our champion is currently at the peak of his powers.
Zac will be the centre of attention again when he bids for the one winner needed to break through the 1000 barrier on Saturday – and rightly so – but another notable landmark has crept under the radar by comparison.
Vincent Ho goes about his business in a very quiet, measured way but this has clearly been a breakthrough season for him and he impressed again on Wednesday night, threading Bigwood through a packing field to land a strong Class 3 handicap.
One more winner will make Vincent the first homegrown rider to partner 50 winners in a season since Matthew Chadwick in the 2012-2013 season. His progress this year goes to show what can happen when talent and hard work meets opportunity in one of the toughest racing circuits in the world and, along with Zac, his place among the best of the best in Hong Kong has been hard earned and very well deserved.
Saturday’s Class 3 Pok Fu Lam Country Park Handicap at 1200m goes as Race 10 and features some promising newcomers with similar backgrounds.
The private purchases having their first start in Hong Kong hold the key to the pace. Beauty Spark led and won in each of his two Australian starts and has been showing similar speed in his Hong Kong trials. Ping Hai Galaxy also won his only two starts in Australia, both at Ipswich, and he has also demonstrated strong speed in his local trials.
Speedy Luck should assume the position following the leader, and perhaps Shouson can be in that leading division, too, with Golden Sixty in close attendance. If all that plays out according to the script, it will be very awkward for Telecom Puma and Neil Callan.
Beauty Spark and Ping Hai Galaxy both debut off the same rating with perfect records and have looked good in their trials. Purton rides Beauty Spark and Moreira is on Ping Hai Galaxy. Both are win and place chances, though Beauty Spark is my main choice.
Golden Sixty is also perfect with a pair of wins under Vincent at Sha Tin and he showed good determination to win his last despite travelling wide and without cover for most of the race. He is better drawn here while Diamond Brilliant is a last start winner and moves up in class.
Comment
