Premier Sydney rider James McDonald has finished third in the International Jockeys Challenge in Hong Kong won by Yuichi Fukunaga.
Representing his native New Zealand, McDonald won the first of the four designated races at Happy Valley on Wednesday night but two-time Japanese champion Fukunaga won the title with a double.
Joao Moreira failed to win a race but accumulated enough points to finish second while victory in the final leg elevated Cox Plate-Melbourne Cup winning Englishman Ryan Moore to fourth.
Fukunaga became the second Japanese jockey to win the title, joining Yutaka Take who tied with Christophe Soumillon to win in 2004.
“I am the first Japanese jockey to win this outright, so I am very happy and honoured to have done so,” Fukunaga said.
“Both my winning rides were similar in that I was able to get a good position early.
“Happy Valley is a tricky course to ride, and the important thing is to start well.
“I had a lot of Japanese fans here to encourage me and some local support also speaking in Japanese.”
Fukunaga will partner Fiero in the Hong Kong Mile at Sunday’s International meeting at Sha Tin.
