Zac Purton has been booked to ride New Zealand star El Vencedor in the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) on FWD Champions Day next month.
Hong Kong’s seven-time champion jockey, who returns from a fractured toe at Sha Tin on Sunday, answered the call from trainer Stephen Marsh to ride the in-form El Vencedor.
The six-year-old will bid for a fifth straight victory and fourth consecutive Group One after outstanding wins in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (2,000m), Otaki Maori WFA Classic (1,600m) and Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (2,000m) at his past three starts.
“You can’t knock horses that are winning and you take Romantic Warrior out of the race here from Hong Kong, Voyage Bubble’s going back to the mile, so there’s not really anything else around here over the mile-and-a-quarter,” Purton told Australian radio SEN Track.
That is really special. What a last 200m!
— Trackside NZ (@TracksideNZ) March 8, 2025
But he’s electric and it's the big EV with the big motor fought and fought.
In honour of Big Red, El Vencedor wins the Bonecrusher Stakes from @Ellerslie_Races.
Ridden by Wiremu Pinn, and it's back to back Group 1s for @marshracing pic.twitter.com/nM49HeDaqC
“The Japanese horses will come, they’re always very strong. If Goliath comes, he’ll be hard to beat, but they’ve all got to get on the plane to come here first.
“I will ride [El Vencedor], so that’s a nice ride to pick up.”
El Vencedor’s purple patch of form was recognised on the world stage when he was rated the joint 10th best galloper in this year’s first edition of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
Purton will be chasing his second QE II Cup after booting home Exultant in 2020.
The Australian rider will reunite with star sprinter Ka Ying Rising in Sunday’s Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m).
