Zac Purton and Tony Cruz have opportunities to become the most successful jockey and trainer, respectively, in the interport series when the expatriate pilot rides Beauty Eternal and the local legend saddles Circuit Stellar and The Golden Scenery in Saturday’s Class One Hong Kong Macau Trophy (1,400m) at Sha Tin.

Purton joined Stanley Chin Kin-ming, Felix Coetzee and Joao Moreira on three interport series wins when he steered Good Standing to victory in the 2019 Hong Kong Macau Trophy, the most recent occasion on which the Sha Tin and Taipa gallopers went head to head.

The winner of three of the past eight interport series races – Dashing Fellow in the 2016 Hong Kong Macau Trophy, Romantic Touch in the 2017 Macau Hong Kong Trophy (1,500m) and Good Standing – Purton rides Beauty Eternal from barrier four over a course and distance at which he is unbeaten in two starts.

In Saturday’s main event, Beauty Eternal reopposes seven of the 13 gallopers he beat over Sha Tin’s 1,400m two weeks ago by margins ranging from a short head to 10 and three-quarter lengths, with runner-up Circuit Stellar meeting him four pounds better and beginning from the gate to his immediate inside.

Circuit Stellar, who led all the way under Purton to win back-to-back Class Two 1,400m contests at Sha Tin earlier this year, is one of Cruz’s two-pronged attack as he seeks to train his seventh interport series winner and move one victory clear of John Moore.

Cruz, whose mother was born in Macau, prepared Helene Pillaging to win both legs of the interport series in 2005. Cruz-conditioned Romantic Touch won consecutive editions of the Macau Hong Kong Trophy (2017 and 2018), while Happee Owner (2006 Hong Kong Macau Trophy) and California Whip (2018 Hong Kong Macau Trophy) contributed his other two successes.

Silvestre de Sousa, who won the 2019 Macau Hong Kong Trophy aboard Horse Of Fortune, retains the ride on Circuit Stellar, while Matthew Chadwick stays on The Golden Scenery, who finished fifth behind Beauty Eternal, Circuit Stellar, Tuchel and Fantastic Treasure in that key form race on April 30.

On Thursday, Jockey Club stewards dismissed Jerry Chau Chun-lok’s appeal against both the guilty finding and the penalty imposed for his improper riding of Pierre Ng Pang-chi’s Astrologer in the Class Two Seoul Handicap (1,200m) at Happy Valley on April 26.

Dreams and disappointments: Joe Lau’s HK-Macau interport series ups and downs

Chau challenged the six-meeting suspension, which the Jockey Club put on ice pending his appeal hearing, that he received for “improper riding in that between the 900m and the 600m he improperly placed unnecessary pressure on Howdeepisyourlove, resulting in Howdeepisyourlove being positioned close to the heels of Rock Ya Heart and ultimately having to be checked to avoid the heels of Rock Ya Heart near the 600m”.

The Jockey Club panel upheld the original decision and ordered the forfeit of Chau’s deposit.

Chau, whose ban runs from May 24 to June 10, has a full book of rides at Sha Tin on Saturday, including Ng-trained galloper Turin Redsun in the Hong Kong Macau Trophy. Turin Redsun exits barrier nine in search of his first win since July.