Jerry Chau strengthened his prospects of securing a place in the International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) after guiding Do Your Part (121lb) to victory at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, 4 November. With only two places remaining in the 12-rider competition, the success provided an important boost to the Hong Kong-based jockey as the selection deadline approaches.
The previous season’s leading homegrown rider now has 16 wins in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship, placing third in the standings with just six meetings remaining before the IJC selection cut-off. Chau trails reigning Hong Kong Champion Jockey Zac Purton, who leads with 29 victories, while apprentice jockey Nichola Yuen sits second on 17 wins but is ineligible for selection because of apprentice status.
Several established riders remain within striking distance. Vincent Ho has 14 wins, Derek Leung 11, James Orman 10, while Karis Teetan and Andrea Atzeni have nine apiece. The closing weeks of November are expected to play a decisive role in determining the final selections.
Jerry Chau Faces Strong Competition for IJC Selection
Chau’s victory came in the Class 3 Jaffe Handicap over 1650 metres, where Do Your Part produced a strong performance to secure the result. The jockey acknowledged the importance of every remaining opportunity, with several challengers continuing to close the gap.
The contest for the final positions is expected to remain tight until the end of November, leaving little room for mistakes as the leading homegrown and international riders pursue selection.
Meanwhile, Purton strengthened his commanding position with a treble at Happy Valley, taking his career tally in Hong Kong to a record-extending 2,050 victories.
The nine-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey opened his successful evening aboard Storming Dragon, trained by Jamie Richards, in the third section of the Class 4 Gloucester Handicap over 1200 metres. Carrying 135lb, the gelding made the most of the track conditions to secure the victory.
Purton followed that success with Brownneedsfurther in the first section of the same handicap. Despite covering additional ground after racing wide, the five-year-old produced an impressive performance for trainer David Hall, recording a third course-and-distance victory from four starts.
Brownneedsfurther’s latest success also raised the possibility of a step up in distance, with a potential move towards 1400 metres at Sha Tin or 1650 metres at Happy Valley under consideration.
Purton completed his treble aboard California Blitz (120lb), trained by Cody Mo, in the first section of the Class 3 Causeway Bay Handicap over 1200 metres.
Winning Diamond and Flying Ting Lok Deliver Notable Performances
Richard Kingscote continued David Eustace’s encouraging campaign with Winning Diamond (119lb) in the Class 5 Cannon Handicap over 1650 metres.
Starting from barrier 12, the runner overcame the difficult draw with a positive ride, settling close to the pace before finishing strongly to secure the victory. Kingscote’s handling of the challenge proved important as the horse made the most of the opportunity.
Another notable result came from Flying Ting Lok (120lb), who secured victory in the Class 4 Ant Digital Technologies Cup Handicap over 1200 metres for trainer Me Tsui and jockey Andrea Atzeni.
The Cluster gelding produced a determined finish to edge out first-starter Packing Smart (127lb) by a short head. Despite starting from barrier eight, Flying Ting Lok settled into a favourable position before finding enough in the closing stages to prevail.
The result provided another encouraging moment for Tsui, whose campaign has begun positively.
Tony Cruz and Alexis Badel Complete Doubles
Trainer Tony Cruz enjoyed a productive evening with a double at Happy Valley.
Comet Radiance (131lb), ridden by Angus Chung, secured a narrow victory over Always My Folks (128lb) in the Class 5 Cleveland Handicap over 1000 metres. The result marked Comet Radiance’s first career success at the 11th attempt, with the trainer indicating that Happy Valley appeared to suit the runner better than Sha Tin.
Cruz completed his double through Viva Firecracker (121lb), who was ridden by Alexis Badel in the Class 4 East Point Handicap over 1650 metres.
In a slowly run contest, Badel judged the pace well and led throughout to secure the result, making the most of the opportunity.
Badel later added another success to his evening when Target Audience (134lb), trained by Caspar Fownes, won the second section of the Class 3 Causeway Bay Handicap over 1200 metres.
Sha Tin to Host the Next Hong Kong Racing Meeting
Hong Kong racing will resume at Sha Tin on Sunday, 8 November, with Ladies’ Purse Day headlining the programme.
The principal attraction will be the HK$4.2 million Group 3 Ladies’ Purse Handicap over 1800 metres, which is expected to bring together a competitive field.
For Chau, however, attention will remain firmly on the closing stages of the jockeys’ championship standings. With the International Jockeys’ Championship approaching, every victory could prove significant in his pursuit of a place among the world’s leading riders.
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