Zac Purton became the winning-most rider ever in Hong Kong when he steered both Spirit Of Peace and View Of The World to victory at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
Purton arrived at the city venue needing two winners to surpass Douglas Whyte’s figure of 1,813, and it didn’t take the Australian magician long to strike as he drove the John Size-trained Spirit Of Peace to score in the Class 4 Kowloon Park Handicap (1200m) on his first ride of the night.
However, he had to wait until the ninth and final race on the card to secure the record outright when Dennis Yip Chorhong’s View Of The World clung on grimly to claim the second division of the Class 3 Victoria Park Handicap (1200m).
Purton’s new mark, which came from 10,358 rides, eclipsed the record held by Douglas Whyte, which has stood since he retired from riding in February 2019, with 1,813 wins from 12,269 rides.
“It feels good, of course, but there’s been a big build-up to it, and I think the name of the horse probably tells the story in itself, really,” said the seven-time champion Hong Kong jockey, who was presented with a purposely designed trophy by Jockey Club chief executive Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“He (Whyte) was the one who wrote the playbook, really.
“He came to Hong Kong and changed the way jockeys operated here and the landscape and how you had to run your business and we’ve all had to follow on from that and without him setting the standard, things would be different.
“I actually once said to Doug, ‘don’t worry your record is safe, I won’t be around long enough to break it.’
“At that time, I thought I was going to retire or go home earlier but I’m still here. I gave him the wrong ‘intel’ about it. We had lunch recently and he’s alright about it.
“Records are made to be broken and mine will be broken one day as well.”
Whyte, who now operates as a successful trainer in Hong Kong, said: “It’s been a long time coming, it was always going to happen,”
“He’s one of the best riders that’s been around, and he deserves it. As I’ve mentioned, he turns up day in and day out and that’s not easy for any sportsman to do. That’s what makes champions and that’s what makes you successful.
“As I’ve stipulated, if there’s anybody better to do it, it would be Zac.”
