Zac Purton says he is waiting in the wings and ready to “swoop in at the 11th hour” for a dramatic return to the saddle in Sunday’s BMW Hong Kong Derby, should the opportunity arise.
Purton, who has been on the sidelines since a nasty race fall on February 9, had to shelve plans to take a full book of rides on Derby day when his recovering big left toe “didn’t look good enough on the x-ray” after pins were removed last week.
But after seeking a second opinion from a specialist on the toe, which he fractured in three places, Purton says he is ready to ride in the city’s most prestigious race if connections require a fill-in rider.
“If there happens to be a hiccup or something between now and the race, I’m an option,” he said, before confirming that he will not be taking any other rides at the meeting. “I’ll swoop in at the 11th hour and get the glory.”
While he initially anticipated being back riding trackwork a week before the Derby, Purton, who celebrated his second success in the contest with Massive Sovereign last year, confirmed he will return to the track on Thursday morning before riding in barrier trials on Friday.
“The gap between the bones was a little bit too wide and unfortunately the bone slipped a little bit between the pins, which meant it was going to take a little bit longer for the bones to start to knit together. But, now that’s happened and it’s a bit more stable, we can get on with things.”
The 42-year-old’s spot at the top of the jockeys’ championship has not been troubled in his five-and-a-half-week absence, but he will be returning to a completely different scene and a few fresh weighing room colleagues.
Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, who suffered a brain injury and neck fractures at the same meeting as Purton, will be a notable absence from the Sha Tin jockeys’ room, while new faces Declan McDonogh, Richard Kingscote and James Orman have changed the look of the roster.
Purton will also be striding into a jockeys’ room with riders full of confidence after capitalising on the number of opportunities handed to them in the 10 meetings without his presence in the riding ranks – especially when they have been dished out by the red-hot John Size.
Brenton Avdulla is the man who has gained the most momentum in Purton’s absence, collecting 14 wins in 10 meetings including a Classic Cup success aboard Rubylot.
Andrea Atzeni and Hugh Bowman have averaged a victory per meeting in the past 10, while Alexis Badel has almost doubled his win tally for the 2024-25 campaign, surging up to 19 victories from 10.
Another man who has quietly gone about his business is Harry Bentley who, after a modest start to the season, sits on the cusp of the top 10 in the premiership thanks to five wins in the past 10 meetings ∎
