Zac Purton

Zac Purton Jockey Profile

Lauded for his tactical awareness and race planning, Zac Purton is renowned for his toughness in a finish and his superb balance, making him one of the all-time greats.  

In the saddle, he has few weaknesses, and when it comes to the all-important off-track aspects of decision-making and relationship-building in Hong Kong, there are none better. This makes Zac Purton the complete package as a jockey. 

Purton is a blessed athlete with superb balance and timing. At one time, Purton battled various health issues related to weight and workload in Hong Kong. However, his professional approach has made him one of the most durable and reliable jockeys in Hong Kong racing history, particularly given his professional obligations. 

Zac Purton’s Origin Story

From a non-racing background, Purton spent most of his childhood and teenage years in the sleepy coastal town of Coffs Harbour, on the New South Wales mid-north coast in Australia. He also spent time in the town of Nelson on the South Island of New Zealand and Mount Gambier, South Australia. 

It was in Nelson where Purton first came into contact with horses, and then for a short time around standardbreds in Mount Gambier. 

Purton was smaller than average but blessed athletically and boasted a high aerobic capacity. 

Back in Coffs Harbour, Purton left school at 14 and went to local horse trainer Trevor Hardy, who guided the gifted rider early. “People say to me, ‘Gee you did a good job with him,’ but I can’t take credit for it, it’s just natural ability,” Hardy says. “Maybe I helped him as a person though.”

Purton’s mother Liz recalled her son’s attitude early: “He would get off the horse and tell the owners their horse was a donkey. Well, it might be true, but it isn’t what the owner wants to hear.”

Hardy helped Purton smooth out some of those rough edges, and he was soon rising through the ranks at a rapid pace, winning the senior Brisbane jockeys’ premiership as an apprentice in 2003.

After moving to Sydney, Purton was second to champion Darren Beadman in successive Sydney premierships before moving to Hong Kong for the start of the 2007-08 season. 

What is Zac Purton’s greatest achievement as a jockey?

Purton has earned his accolades in Hong Kong the hard way. It took a long time for the Australian to gain the trust and support of the big-name trainers that fueled the success of his dominant rivals, Douglas Whyte and Joao Moreira. 

Purton’s record-setting 179 wins in the 2023-24 season delivered a sixth Hong Kong jockeys’ championship, but that was achieved with his arch-rivals Whyte and Moreira out of the picture. Purton’s greatest achievement was winning the 2021-22 title after a captivating season-long duel with Joao Moreira. Purton rode four winners to Moreira’s none on the final day of the season to clinch his fifth title.

Which horse is Zac Purton most famous for riding?

Purton is best known for his partnership with Beauty Generation, a powerful, front-running miler trained by John Moore that dominated Hong Kong racing. Beauty Generation won ten races straight with Purton aboard and 14 races overall for the jockey, the pair going eight-for-eight during the 2018-19 season.

What is Zac Purton’s best ever ride?

Some of Purton’s smartest rides are in lower-grade races on the tricky Happy Valley circuit, where sharp starts, race position and fast-thinking judgements of race tempo are key. 

As far as Group 1 rides are concerned, two of Purton’s efforts come to mind. Purton’s ride on Dominant in the 2013 Hong Kong Vase showcased Purton’s in-race awareness and sense of timing. Starting from barrier 12, Dominant was a 12-1 outsider. Purton settled last but looped the field at a key moment approaching the turn and stole a march on his more fancied rivals. The Vase had been dominated by northern hemisphere-trained stayers, and Dominant’s win was the first in 15 years by a Hong Kong-trained horse. 

Aerovelocity’s win in the 2015 G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen placed a focus on Purton’s calmness under pressure. On a slippery surface that Aerovelocity was not suited on, Purton showed poise to keep the powerful sprinter balanced around the turn and produce a drive to the finish. Purton can strong-arm a horse to the line with the best of them, but this finish showed that there is some finesse to the Australian’s game as well. 

Who is Zac Purton’s greatest rival?

Purton’s rivalry with Joao Moreira drove Hong Kong racing to new heights and, between them, they have dominated the last decade. However, if bitterness counts for anything, then Purton’s rivalry with Douglas Whyte was by far the most intense. 

For Purton to ascend to champion for the first time, Whyte was the dragon he needed to slay. Whyte had won a record 13 straight championships from 2000-01, and as Purton emerged as his main challenger in the 2012-13 season, the battle became personal. It played out in what sometimes seemed like petty in-race incidents – the two riders engaging in man-to-man tactics at times – and a war of words in the press.

The races between Ambitious Dragon, whom Purton had replaced Whyte on, and Whyte’s new ride Glorious Days were the stuff of legend. When Glorious Days beat Ambitious Dragon in the G2 Jockey Club Mile after a tight, tactical contest, Whyte was unofficially warned by stewards for ‘taunting’ Purton by pointing at his rival as he crossed the line. When Ambitious Dragon beat Glorious Days in the G1 Hong Kong Mile, Purton returned serve, with interest, unloading with a finger point and a verbal barrage of his own as they crossed the line.

Whyte is now a trainer and provided the winner that clinched Purton his fifth title during his famous four-timer at the 2021-22 season finale.

Which sporting franchise would Zac Purton be?

Zac Purton is a dedicated fan of the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) and Hong Kong’s glamour jockey and rugby league’s richest club share a few attributes.

The Roosters’ history even mirrors that of Purton’s own career arc: at one time, the Roosters were a working-class team but have evolved into elites. More champagne than beer is being sipped at Roosters games these days. Purton, the working-class kid from Coffs Harbour, has become a cultural connoisseur in Hong Kong and is featured in the cosmopolitan capital’s fashion magazines and seen dining at its finest eateries.

A successful club known for its professionalism and high expectations, the Roosters could be accused of carrying themselves with an air of arrogance – not that they care, because it is generally backed up with results. The same could be said of Purton – he isn’t trying to win any popularity contests, just races, and, in Hong Kong, nobody has ever done that better than the Australian.

Purton was even invited to speak to the Roosters team during a 2023 visit to Sydney.

Did you know…

Purton is married to Nicole Purton, the daughter of Hall of Fame jockey Jim Cassidy. Zac and Nicole have two children, Cash and Roxy. 

Best quote about Zac Purton

After Purton won the 2016 Sires’ Produce on Yankee Rose, trainer David Van Dyke remarked on the rider’s remarkable balance, “He has the most beautiful seat on a horse. If you wanted to take a picture of what a jockey should look like on a horse, that is it.”  

Our Favourite Zac Purton Stories

2 Jul, 2024

中文 日本語 EN

Zac Purton, Hong Kong Trainer? Nicole ‘Pushing’ For New Chapter

【妻子推動】Nicole鼓勵潘頓開倉從練

【香港競馬】パートン、妻から調教師転向を薦められる

Hong Kong’s champion jockey Zac Purton opens up to Idol Horse about where he’s at, and what the future might hold should wife Nicole get her way…

這位香港冠軍騎師談及他目前處境以及如果如妻子所願的話，未來可能會帶來不同。

7度目のリーディングジョッキーを確実視される香港のザック・パートン騎手。今シーズンの状況と、将来的な調教師転向の可能性を語ってくれた。

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12 Jul, 2024

中文 日本語 EN

Purton Could Be Key As Ng And Lui Go To The Wire

【煞科VIP】潘頓可成伍鵬志與呂健威的爭冠關鍵

最終日までもつれた香港競馬のリーディング調教師争い、勝負の鍵はパートン騎手？

The soon-to-be seven-time champion jockey Zac Purton will be right in the mix of the action when the Hong Kong champion trainer title is decided at Sha Tin on Sunday.

即將七度奪冠的潘頓，在本週日的冠軍練馬師爭奪戰中將處於決定性的核心位置。

日曜日のシャティン開催で、2人のリーディング調教師争いが遂に決着する。ピエール・ン調教師とフランシス・ルイ調教師の師弟対決、カギを握るのはパートン騎手の存在かもしれない。

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