Leading Australian Rider Zac Purton landed a five timer at Happy Valley on Wednesday which saw him go back to the top of the jockey championship standings, overtaking his rival Joao Moreira by four wins.
Purton is looking to defend his title after taking the glory last season and at one point this term it looked like the Brazilian Moreira was going clear in the race for the title but after a few poor weeks, Purton has managed to get back on top.
Happy Valley on Wednesday could not have gone better for the Australian, landing the first three races getting the ball rolling with Loriz, followed by Rich And Lucky and Bright Kid before Reel Bizzy scored in race seven and Dances With Dragon came out on top in the finale.
Who else? Dances With Dragon lands a fabulous five-timer for @zpurton in the last from Happy Valley #HKRacing pic.twitter.com/XRj2jxwAwj
— At The Races (@AtTheRaces) May 6, 2020
Purton said: It’s been a bit of a grind, so hopefully I’ve now got a few more like this ahead of me.”
The best ride of the night for the Aussie rider came in the lucky last when he managed to weave through the field on the top weighted Dances With Dragon and speed away from the Moreira-ridden Enrichment to land the contest.
Purton added: “It wasn’t as cool as it probably looked!
“It was a messy race with quite a bit going on. I had to get off the fence down the back because the horse in front couldn’t hold a spot and was going nowhere. I had to come out around on the corner and then back in and through them.
“We were lucky to get the run we got but the horse did a good job, he was up to the task.”