Zac Purton is now, statistically, Hong Kong’s greatest-ever jockey. He told Matt Stewart how the intense scrutiny of racing’s greatest fish bowl turned him into a champion and what the future may hold as he battles the wear and tear of 25 years in the saddle.
Zac Purton had just nailed a four-timer at Sha Tin – “I should have ridden seven”. That came off the back of Purton smashing the all-time record for winners in Hong Kong.
He was at the international airport with his wife and kids and about to steal four nights in Hanoi before returning to begin another great chase; the first Hong Kong jockey to ride 2000 winners.
The first record, smashing through Douglas Whyte’s 1814 winners, came after a scratchy start.
At first, he was homesick and virtually winless. Glen Boss had to beg the kid to stay. That was 2007. He stuck at it and first had to chip away at Whyte, then Joao Moreira, who dominated Purton for a handful of years and shared a particular quirk.
It wasn’t stinking hot in Hanoi this week, but it was warmer than Hong Kong. For 42-year-old Purton, this was not insignificant.
Purton’s troublesome hip ached – always an alarm bell for the ageing champion – and his fingers and toes were still thawing out. In the cold, Purton rides with “electric” gloves and socks to stop him seizing up.
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