Race to 2,000: Zac Purton hailed as ‘best in the world’ as he nears magic milestone
Australian jockey rides Flying Amani, Come Fast Fay Fay and Packing King to victory in his first three races at Sha Tin, now on 1,998 Hong Kong wins
Zac Purton closed in on a remarkable 2,000 career wins in Hong Kong on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, winning his first three rides of the day, and could reach the milestone at Happy Valley this week.
The Australian jockey sits on an astonishing 1,998 triumphs, and with just two more victories needed to reach the magic milestone should expect to get at least double that number of rides for Wednesday’s meeting.
With Romantic Warrior and James McDonald sealing a remarkable Triple Crown, it looked for a time as though Purton would make it a double celebration at Sha Tin.
The 43-year-old guided Flying Amani to a thrilling victory over Perfecto Moments in the opening race, the Class Five Digital Assets Handicap, and made it two from two shortly after with a strong win on board Come Fast Fay Fay in the Class Four Sustainable Finance Handicap.
Purton made it three wins from three rides on the day with another peach, this time aboard Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Packing King in the Class Four Corporate & Investment Banking Handicap.
The large crowd at Sha Tin was reflected in packed out Hong Kong Jockey Club facilities around the city, and at the Central venue it was standing room only as people settled in to see if Purton could achieve greatness.