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The path to history for Zac Purton has been far from straightforward. With Purton bringing up his 1,814th win on View Of The World at Happy Valley on January 22, the statistics paint a fascinating portrait of his storied career in Hong Kong so far.

First, here are Purton’s wins season by season, dating back to his first victory on Elfhelm to begin the 2007-08 term. His premiership-winning seasons are highlighted in dark green and demonstrate just how he has built momentum over time.

The primary comparison is with the man whose record he is toppling, Douglas Whyte. Purton was trailing Whyte’s historical path for his first decade in Hong Kong but has accelerated in recent years and has continued to dominate.

There are more races per season in Hong Kong now than there were during Whyte’s career, so how do their respective strike rates measure up over time? And how do they compare with the third jockey to reach 1,000 wins in Hong Kong, Joao Moreira?

Purton has won on 1,120 different horses, but which horses has he had most success with?

Purton has won with 34 different trainers and ridden for 46 stables, but who is his biggest supporter? Click on the drop down menu to see how Purton’s support base has changed over the years.

Purton now sits at the head of one of world racing’s most prestigious lists. Here are the top 13 jockeys of Hong Kong’s professional era, as of January 22.

Let’s take a look at some of the more quirky facts among Purton’s Hong Kong career. For instance, which jockeys have proved his greatest foes? Here are the 10 jockeys who have been most successful when Purton has finished second.

Unsurprisingly, Golden Sixty proved his greatest foe on the racetrack with Purton finishing second to him five times. However, the next two were perhaps more surprising – Gorgeous Again and I Give, both relegating Purton to second on four occasions.

What about the horses that should have contributed to Purton’s historic haul but didn’t? Here are the 10 horses that the Australian rode most but did not win a race on.

There are some interesting quirks in there too. For instance, he has ridden a winner for every letter of the alphabet – from a remarkable 155 horses starting with S to two beginning with Z (Zhan Jiang Rocks and Zone D), and one with X (Xi Ying Men).

There are also 28 horses with some reference to Win or Winning, 26 Beauty horses, 24 horses with Dragon in the name, 21 Luckys (and a further six with Luck in the name) and 19 Happys.

Whyte held the record for 17 years and 45 days. Should Purton hold the record for the same amount of time, his mark will be eclipsed on March 15, 2042 ∎

Andrew Hawkins is the Idol Horse Globetrotter. Andrew’s deep passion for international racing has taken him to all corners of the world, including Hong Kong, where he was based for five years. He has worked with media outlets including South China Morning Post, Racing Post, ANZ Bloodstock News, Sky Racing Australia and World Horse Racing, as well as for organisations including the Hong Kong Jockey Club and Victoria Racing Club.

View all articles by Andrew Hawkins.

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