Zac Purton booked to ride in G1 King Charles III Stakes

Champion Hong Kong jockey Zac Purton has secured the ride on Lake Forest in next month’s Group 1 King Charles III Stakes at Randwick for leading British trainer William Haggas.

Lake Forest, winner of last year’s $10 million Golden Eagle, will return for another Australian spring assault with his sights set on the $5 million mile feature at Randwick on October 18.

The four-year-old comes into the campaign off a runner-up finish in the Group 1 City Of York Stakes (1400m) in August. While Cieren Fallon partnered him to Golden Eagle glory in 2024, this year connections have opted to engage expatriate Australian star Purton.

Purton had also been approached to partner the Charlie Fellowes-trained Luther, who claimed the Grade 2 Hall Of Fame Stakes in the US on August 1, in this year’s Golden Eagle. However, the Hong Kong Jockey Club declined his application on the basis that the Golden Eagle is not a Group 1 race.

Lake Forest’s booking ensures Purton will be a key player in one of Sydney’s premier spring features, with betting markets for the King Charles III Stakes already open through Australia’s top betting sites.