Zac Purton becomes first jockey to ride 2,000 winners in Hong Kong

For 2,000 winners, Zac Purton has chased the best horses Hong Kong could put under him. The one that helped him to the milestone at Sha Tin on Sunday had never won a race.

The horse will be a footnote to history, an answer to a trivia question when it comes time for Purton to reflect on an illustrious career that seems far from over. 

A debut winner named Rising World, an unknown an hour earlier, carried the Australian to win 2,000 in the opening race, making Purton the first jockey to reach the mark in Hong Kong's history. The milestone became the focus the moment it crossed the line.

The Brett Crawford-trained first starter broke well, sat outside the soft lead and hung on to win by a short head – a tidy debut, but on any other day just another winner. On this one, the horse lent its name to history.

Purton passed Douglas Whyte's all-time record of 1,813 wins last season and hasn't eased off since. He holds an insurmountable lead in the race for a ninth jockeys' championship, which would be a fifth straight and eighth in nine years.

A countdown had been highlighted on the infield big screen with each of his last 10 wins. The club marked the milestone with a tribute highlights package on the same screen and presented Purton with a large trophy made especially for the occasion.

"When I reflect back on it and look at some of those highlights, and the great moments I've had in my career, I've been very fortunate," Purton said. "That, of course, wouldn't be possible without the support from the owners and trainers, and Hong Kong has been such a great place for me."

Reaching the number at Sha Tin rather than Happy Valley mattered for reasons beyond the record book: it is the only track where children are admitted, so his wife, Nicole, could bring the couple's two children, Cash and Roxy, to watch.

“At least I’m not going to have to go home tonight to Cash saying ‘why didn’t you have a winner today, daddy?’ So we’ve had the winner and he’s got the trophy, so job done.”

Purton has partnered many of the territory's recent stars, including sprint sensation Ka Ying Rising, dual Horse of the Year Beauty Generation, Exultant and Aerovelocity, along with Derby winners Luger and Massive Sovereign. 

"Ka Ying Rising has been very big, of course. He stands atop," Purton said. "Exultant, he used to fight like a lion, I loved him. There's so many horses, I could stand here all day and name them all."

The path here, he said, was never paved for him. He arrived without fanfare and built his record win by win, a point of pride he made plain.

That work ethic, Purton said, is what Hong Kong demands and what keeps him sharp.

"The competitive racing, for sure. I do like fast speed and dry tracks generally, and the competitive nature of the handicap races we have," he said. "You really have to be on your game every race. You never come to the races unprepared, so there's a lot of work that goes into that and getting the results becomes very satisfying."

Nicole said her husband had earned every one. "I'm just incredibly proud of Zac and I think he's worked very hard for this moment," she said. "Exceptionally proud."

Asked about his next target, she answered for him: "Bring on 2,500, hey?"

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓