Purton: Fast Network the horse to beat in National Day Cup

Zac Purton jumps on Beauty Waves in Sunday’s Group 3 National Day Cup at Sha Tin — but Hong Kong’s champion jockey says the horse he fears most is Fast Network.

“The interesting horse is Fast Network — I could have ridden him — but my ride was already committed,” Purton said. “He is coming back to 1,000 meters, which I think really suits him. His first-up run was good, and with the blinkers back on, he looks ready to run well.”

Fast Network, trained by Dennis Yip Chor-hung and to be ridden by Alexis Badel, produced a solid performance over 1,400 meters on Opening Day before heading to Conghua, where he has impressed in his work since. The cut back to the straight dash looks the right move – especially with blinkers back on – and Badel is upbeat about the ride.

“He’s an interesting pick-up for me,” Badel said. “I asked about him after his last run. He has speed, he’s coming back to his trip, and I think he’s a very good chance in what looks an open race. Hopefully they go a solid tempo, because my horse likes to finish strongly.”

Purton, takes over on Beauty Waves, who won this race last year under Badel but then struggled for form before a stable transfer to Tony Cruz from Pierre Ng Pang-chi sparked a resurgence. The sprinter closed out the term with back-to-back wins, including a strong Sha Tin success up the straight in June and a dominant Class 2 victory at the Season Finale at Happy Valley. For Purton, the key is unlocking consistency.

“There are two of him,” Purton said. “One misses the start, over-races, and beats himself up. The other gets it right, relaxes, and does things properly. He needs to do it Tony Cruz style — go with the flow. At 1,000 meters it’s less complicated, and he’s already proven himself in this race before.”

The National Day Cup also features John Size’s pair, Raging Blizzard and Wunderbar, both rated 105. They represent exactly the kind of horses that make Hong Kong’s sprinting ranks so tough.

“Hong Kong racing is unforgiving — once horses reach a certain rating, they must face the elite,” Purton said. “Horses can be progressive and have a good record, but suddenly they’re not playing park football anymore — they’re in the Premier League.”

Wunderbar is famously the only horse so far to defeat Ka Ying Rising — beating him twice by narrow margins late in their three-year-old season. Wunderbar then spent nine months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery to remove knee chips, while his former rival went on to establish himself as the world’s best sprinter. Wunderbar may never reach anywhere near those heights, but could he play spoiler at Group 3 or Group 2 level?
 

Purton’s thoughts are never far from Ka Ying Rising and the horse’s date with destiny on October 18, when he will contest The Everest. The six-year-old, trained by David Hayes, is already in Sydney and Purton will reunite with him in a Randwick barrier trial next week, just 11 days before the world’s richest turf race.

The champion jockey has been in regular contact with Hayes since the horse’s departure, which came just before Typhoon Ragasa tore through Hong Kong.

“He seems good — he looks happy, bright, and comfortable,” Purton said. “I’m not surprised he handled the trip well. Traveling to Conghua regularly has been a huge benefit for him. The float ride to Conghua can take six hours, while the flight to Australia is nine — and in some ways that’s probably more comfortable than a truck that has to turn and stop in traffic.” 

With Ka Ying Rising absent, the National Day Cup sets the stage for Hong Kong’s second tier to step into the spotlight. For Purton, Fast Network is the horse he fears will be at his shoulder and challenging late.

“I think he’s the one to beat,” he said.