PURTON PASSES WHYTE'S PRIZEMONEY RECORD

By Hong Kong Jockey Club (Leo Schlink) | Sunday, December 5, 2021

Zac Purton has overtaken Douglas Whyte’s all-time Hong Kong prizemoney record by posting a double as the perfect prelude to his title defence of the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley on Wednesday (8 December).

Trailing 13-time champion jockey Whyte’s record haul of HK$1,587,210,086 – accumulated from 1,813 wins – Purton started the meeting HK$1,210,620 in arrears of the South African but the Australian closed the day in style with victory on Tony Cruz’s Beauty Joy to win the Class 3 Tourmaline Handicap (1400m) and set a new mark of HK$1,588,025,566.

Beauty Joy was the second leg of Purton’s double after Benno Yung’s Millennium Falcon’s enabled the Australian to lay the platform for a successful chase by landing the Class 4 Onyx Handicap (1400m).

With 1,341 career wins in Hong Kong, Purton leads the 2021/22 championship with 46 victories – 10 ahead of Joao Moreira – as he chases a fifth title.

Purton diplomatically downplayed the prizemoney achievement, but there is little doubt he still has unfinished business in Hong Kong.

“It’s another nice milestone to hit,” Purton said. “It’s another nice record to put on the CV, it feels good but there’s still work to do. Since I’ve been in Hong Kong and that’s been nearly a decade and a half now, prizemoney has gone up about 3-5 percent every season, so we’re obviously racing for a lot for money these days.

“I’ve been very lucky in my time here in that I’ve ridden a lot of good horses, I’ve won a lot of big races and they obviously help towards to the total.”

Purton said Whyte’s record haul of wins remains a target.

“I think 1,800 wins is gettable. By the time I get to the end of this season, I should be at 1400 and it’s not too far away from there. It gives me something to think about, anyhow,” he said.
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On a day of milestone triumphs, Lyle Hewitson and Victor Wong notched their first winners of the season as John Size continued an ominous march towards a record 12th trainers’ championship with a treble.

In a welcome case of déjà vu, Hewitson teamed with Douglas Whyte to log the first victory in his second Hong Kong stint aboard Valiant Elegance in the Class 4 Kowloon Tong Club Trophy Handicap (1200m, dirt).

Hewitson and Whyte combined in December, 2019 with Last Kingdom when Hewitson needed 141 rides to get off the mark in his first Hong Kong sortie. The South African was much quicker this time, taking only 14 mounts to prevail – and again in tandem with Whyte.

“It’s very similar. It was also on the dirt, I also led start to finish and just held on at the end for the Whyte stable. The biggest difference this time is that it was three meetings into my stint, not three months, so obviously I’m very glad about that and I’m just grateful,” Hewitson said.

“It’s not easy to give a rider support when maybe the form book doesn’t suggest it, but Dougie fortunately has stood by me and given me this chance. I’m just happy it’s all worked out and I’m happy to be on the board early and I look forward to the next couple of years, hopefully.”

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