Spectacular International Jockeys' Championship lights up Happy Valley

Happy Valley Racecourse was abuzz on Wednesday night as The Hong Kong Jockey Club staged another spectacular edition of the annual LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC).

Thousands of local racegoers and tourists were treated to an extravaganza of first-class racing and entertainment as top Hong Kong-based jockeys and several returning overseas heroes battled it out for the IJC trophy.

The local team comprised reigning Hong Kong champion jockey Zac Purton, last year’s IJC winner Vincent Ho and two other IJC past winners – Hugh Bowman and Karis Teetan. They were joined by newly crowned World’s Best Jockey James McDonald from New Zealand, Britain-based Ryan Moore, William Buick and Hollie Doyle, Japan’s Yuga Kawada, Colin Keane from Ireland, Australia-based Rachel King and France’s Mickael Barzalona.

The winner of the IJC is the jockey who collects the most points over the competition’s four legs. An advanced algorithm is used to allocate the jockeys’ horses and starting gates to make the competition as fair as possible.

The championship got off to a dazzling start ahead of the first leg as an electrifying pyrotechnics show illuminated the racecourse with vibrant colours. Captivating live music and thrilling entertainment around the Beer Garden between races kept the excitement going.

At the end of an evening of gripping racing, the IJC trophy was awarded to Barzalona, who bookended a dominant performance with victories in the first and last legs of the challenge. Doyle and McDonald tied in second place, while local handler Pierre Ng took the prize for leading IJC trainer.

The IJC is one of the key events of the Club’s international week, which concludes at Sha Tin Racecourse on Sunday with the most exciting day on the local racing calendar – the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races. Equine stars from around the world have travelled to the city to fight for glory in the four Group 1 contests, promising yet another day of thrilling racing action.