Purton set to bring up century of wins at Sha Tin
Champion jockey Zac Purton goes for a hat-trick of wins on the fast-improving Aerovolanic at Sha Tin on Sunday as he hones in on 100 winners for a 10th straight season.
A tally of 98 winners this term looks almost certain to yield him a ninth Hong Kong jockey championship (he currently sits 49 wins clear of second-placed Hugh Bowman), and the Australian takes a book of seven rides to Sunday’s 11-race fixture with a chance to bring up the century.
Among his leading hopes is Pierre Ng-trained Aerovolanic (129lb), who is seeking a third straight win when he tackles the Class 3 Helping Older Adults Age Well Handicap (1400m).
MORE: Hong Kong horse racing guide
The Frosted gelding has seen his rating rise a remarkable 17 points in less than two months after a pair of commanding two-length wins under Purton, the most recent in a career-best 1m 21.18s. Purton believes there’s more room for improvement if the four-year-old can overcome a tendency to over-race.
“He still hasn’t learned how to manage himself that well,” Purton said.
“He really wants to run through the bridle mid-race. He’s been in two races where the sectionals mid-race have been quite solid, and he seems to enjoy that. If he could just learn to drop his head a little bit better, I’m sure he could go to another level again. But he’s full of confidence, so there’s a bit to like about him.”
A debut win as a three-year-old was followed by a frustrating period for Aerovolanic, which included him unseating rider James McDonald in a Class 4 contest last November. But since the link-up with the champion jockey, the Australian-bred appears to have turned a corner.
“Hopefully, we can get another win out of him and get him into the bottom of Class 2 with a lighter weight, I think that would help him,” Purton added.
Aerovolanic will have to contend with the return of John Size’s exciting Sky Jewellery (135lb) on Sunday. With wins at 1200m, 1400m and 1600m as a three-year-old, the Australian racing import was earmarked as the standout of this season’s Four-Year-Old Classic Series crop. However, his campaign was abandoned when he bled following a November 2025 barrier trial.
Over a year on from his last race, and with a series of solid trial outings under his belt, there’s excitement around his return to the track. Master trainer Size, however, sounded a note of caution.
“He had a bleed, so you don’t get too excited about it,” Size said.
“You just hope that he holds together and that he can win a couple of races. Of course, he’s a really nice horse, and if he doesn’t have those internal problems, he’d be lovely, but we can never be confident of that.”
Meanwhile, Purton was effusive as ever after partnering Ka Ying Rising for a Thursday morning gallop. The world’s top-rated sprinter will aim to extend his extraordinary win streak to 20 when he tackles the HK$24 million Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on FWD Champions Day on April 26.
To reach the landmark, he will need to overcome proven Hong Kong sprinters, including Helios Express and Fast Network, as well as International Group 1 winners Satono Reve and Native Approach. But ominously for his rivals, Purton believes Ka Ying Rising is currently at the top of his game.
“He was good (in his trackwork), as he always is,” Purton said. “He spun around there nicely, pulled up well, stretched his legs, changed his leg, which was very comforting. He looks like he’s in, probably, career-best order going into his grand final this season. So looking forward to next week.”
Sunday’s 11-race fixture at Sha Tin starts at 12.45pm with the Class 5 Racing For Charity Handicap (1800m).
