Australian star jockey Zac Purton yesterday sealed a clinical victory at the Hong Kong Cup at the Longines International Races, one of the world’s richest race meetings with a total purse of US$10.8 million.
Purton dominated the race from start to finish with four-year-old gelding Time Warp and completed the 2,000m course in just over 2 minutes, 1 second.
“He’s got a high cruising speed and obviously he can kick off that, so when nothing attacks him you can see how good he is today,” Purton said of Time Warp after the race.
Photo: AFP
Fellow Australian Tommy Berry finished second on Werther, while Neorealism, ridden by Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira, finished third.
The Hong Kong Cup is the highlight of the four Group 1 events at the annual meet at Shatin Racecourse — which also includes the Hong Kong Mile, the Hong Kong Sprint and the Hong Kong Vase.
Purton was already on a winning streak last year, finishing second on Secret Weapon and claiming victory in both the Mile and Sprint events. He won the Vase race in 2013.
“The jigsaw is complete, so I’m pretty happy about that,” Purton said.
Beauty Generation snapped up the 1,600m Hong Kong Mile for leading local jockey Derek Leung, whose front-running performance lasted all the way to the finish line.
Australian jockey Nash Rawiller emerged victorious in the 1,200m Sprint with rising star Mr Stunning, who overtook stablemate D B Pin in the final stretch.
Earlier in the day, British jockey Ryan Moore rode Ireland’s Highland Reel to a memorable victory in the 2,400m Hong Kong Vase as the five-year-old capped off its career in style.
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