Jockey Purton, trainer Lor crowned HK champions, Latest Racing News - The New Paper
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Jockey Purton, trainer Lor crowned HK champions

HONG KONG - In a season finale soaked with drama and history, Zac Purton, Frankie Lor and Matthew Chadwick have taken the top individual honours as the 2021/2022 Hong Kong racing season ended in spectacular fashion at Sha Tin on Saturday (July 16).

With his fifth jockeys’ championship, Purton closed a turbulent season triumphantly with a quartet. He had missed eight meetings after a fall in mid-December and then erasing an 18-win deficit to arch-rival Joao Moreira to ultimately prevail 136-132.

Locked on 132 wins with Moreira heading into the 88th and final meeting, Purton held the narrowest of advantages because the Brazilian’s tally contained two dead-heats compared to his one dead-heat.

Purton put the championship beyond Moreira’s reach by sealing a treble aboard Turin Redsun, defeating Moreira’s Money Catcher by a short head, in the fourth-last race.

Earlier, he had won on Turquoise Alphae and Never Too Soon. He then took the penultimate race on Lucky Sweynesse.

The tussle between him and Moreira had seen six lead changes. 

He had snared the coveted title in 2013/14, 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20.

“Every title is special in their own way. I want to pay respect to Joao as well. It’s been a really difficult season and a difficult last three years for all of us here in Hong Kong through all of the Covid lockdowns, having to home-school the kids. We’ve both had our health issues, it’s been really tough,” said Purton.

“We both deserved to win it. It’s really tough, only one person can. I think we both deserve it. 

“It’s energy-sapping. We’re both right at the end of our tethers, so it’s nice that we can close it today and both go on holiday and come back and do it again next season.”

Lor completed the swiftest ascent by a home-grown trainer to the trainers’ championship in decades. He ended the season with 90 wins. 

In only his fifth season, he has six more wins than his former mentor and 11-time champion, John Size.

“I need to thank the Jockey Club first. I joined the club in 1981 and have been there for 41 years, and the owners have been really supportive,” said Lor, 56. 

“My stable team in Conghua and Hong Kong, they both work really hard for me, and also my family – my son also does a lot of work for me. And I need to say a big thank you to my boss, Mr Size. 

“At this moment, I have only had a trainers’ licence for five years, and to get the championship this season, I’m really happy because I’m a local trainer and it means the local trainers can also get the championship.”

Chadwick ended Vincent Ho’s three-season reign as winner of the Tony Cruz Award as the most successful home-grown jockey with 55 wins – five more than Ho. - HKJC

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