ENGLISH TEXTS
These are the meetings for big dreamers , the ones that rock the boat to get out of the ordinary . It is in his way of managing this ordinary , of improving it by thinking outside the box , from one track to another , from one class to another and from one meeting to another , that Nicolas shares his happiness .
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JOCKEY
ZAC PURTON , THE STUFF OF HEROES
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By Emmanuel Roussel
A few days after becoming the new record holder for wins in Hong Kong , Zac Purton was involved in an accident that has temporarily sidelined him . But his legacy , and his future , are not in danger !
Australian jockey Zac Purton became , on 22 January at Happy Valley , the jockey with the most wins on the Hong Kong circuit with his 1,814 th victory . He thus broke a record held since 2013 by South African Doug Whyte . Since his arrival in the former British colony , where racing traditionally takes place only twice a week , and for about ten months of the year , he has won sev- en champion jockey titles , including his first in 2013 , six years after his arrival . A winner for the first time in September 2007 , he reached 100 winners in April 2010 , 500 in March 2015 , 1,000 only four years later in July 2019 , and 1,500 wins in December 2022 , on Christmas Eve . He won the first of his four Longines International Jockeys ’ Championships in December 2017 . In July 2023 , he broke the record for wins in a season with 179 , just over two per meeting ... The earnings of his mounts over the eighteen seasons he has spent in Hong Kong amount to € 287 million , or € 16 million per season . His 17.5 % win rate over such a long period is simply extraordinary , and it peaks at almost 50 % in the top three finishers . Zac Purton , 42 , has reached this level of excellence on an extremely competitive circuit , with a programme almost entirely made up of handicaps . Even though he now has the lion ’ s share of the choice of mounts , this is stunning , especially as he began his career facing a legend like Doug Whyte , then a formidable competition from Joao Moreira , who threw in the towel after Covid .
Shocking stats He has also experienced health problems which , at certain points in his career , almost precipitated his retirement . In an interview with Nicholas Child for the Hong Kong Jockey Club after his record-breaking achievement . But the way up and there has not always been that easy … “ Well at the time , physically , I didn ’ t even feel like I could go on , said Purton . My hip was in a very bad place . I was struggling to walk . I was getting home after race meetings and just lying on the floor looking at the roof – absolute agony . Like , I just did not think I could get out of bed and you know , through various treatments and a period of time , for whatever reason , it ’ s just started to settle down a little bit . It was breaking me and now it ’ s given me a bit of relief .” Zac Purton was going through a period of great form ( four more wins at the meeting following the record ) latley , but he was once again struck by a cruel twist of fate : on 9 February at Sha Tin , he was thrown to the ground in a multiple fall . He broke his big toe and had to undergo surgery . His recovery is expected to take four to six weeks , and he hopes to be fit in time for the Hong Kong Derby on 23 March . He is a fighter and an accomplished athlete , so it ’ s not an impossible task ! Whatever happens , his 8 th champion jockey title is practically assured . Indeed , with 84 wins , 45 more than the second-placed Hugh Bowman , he has enough of a lead to be sure of still being in the lead on his return . If he returns for the Derby , he will only have missed eleven meetings . Hugh Bowman
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