HAPPY VALLEY SHOWCASES THE CLASH OF THE TITANS
By Darren Winningham | Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Tonight … Happy Valley, where the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) will explode under lights, and with it comes a showdown the sport has been waiting for - a clash of giants, legends, and rivals.
This is not merely a jockey’s competition. It is the Clash of the Titans!
First into the arena is James McDonald—the reigning LONGINES World’s Best Jockey, claiming the title for the third time.
He is adored by Hong Kong fans, who chant “J-Mac J-Mac!” every time he launches a feature-race assault down the Sha Tin and Happy Valley straights.
McDonald has become a global name in racing, and now he returns to the Valley hunting the one accolade he has not claimed - the LONGINES IJC crown.
He came agonisingly close in 2024. This year - he wants it bad.
Then comes the man whose name still echoes through Hong Kong racing: João Moreira – The Magic Man.
A four-time Hong Kong champion, Moreira closed his full-time chapter in the city in November 2022, yet his presence never truly left. Hong Kong racegoers still admire him—cheering him, greeting him, embracing him like a returning hero every time he steps back onto the Valley’s tight circuit.
He won the IJC in 2012. He wants another win.
His mastery of momentum and timing can turn any ride into a moment of brilliance.
And towering beside them, the most dominant force Hong Kong racing has ever seen:
Zac Purton, the eight-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey and the all-time winningest jockey in Hong Kong history, is the benchmark for brilliance.
Purton has captured the IJC three times (2017, 2020, 2021).
He understands the Valley better than anyone—its rhythm, its chaos, its tight corners, its sudden bursts of opportunity.
He rides with intensity, precision, and the steel of a man who knows every eye will be on him.
And, of course, there another nine top tier jockeys competing, all champions in their own right … but Purton, Moreira, and McDonald bring something different. A unique electricity born from rivalry, mutual respect, and the relentless pursuit of greatness
These twelve amazing talented jockeys will enter the Happy Valley cauldron … only one will emerge as a champion.
On Wednesday night, no favours will be given. None expected. None asked for.
This is the IJC.
This is where reputations are challenged, skills tested, and champions crowned.
The question that hangs in the air:
Can Purton claim a record-extending fourth IJC title?
Will Moreira summon the old magic and take his second title?
Or, will J-Mac finally grasp the trophy that eluded him in 2024?
Or - in the most dramatic twist - will one of the other nine world-class challengers steal the spotlight and spoil my storyline?
The stage is set. The world is watching.
The Clash of the Titans has arrived.
And to racing fans back in Australia—brew a coffee, dim the lights, and stay up for this one.
What unfolds at Happy Valley will be worth every second of lost sleep.
Think of WINNO as well – he will get home from the track around 2am local time in Brisbane and be back at the track at 7am the next morning.
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