Zac Purton
 |
| Zac Purton | |
|---|---|
 Purton at the Sha Tin Racecourse, Hong Kong on 24 March 2024 | |
| Occupation | Jockey |
| Born | 3 January 1983 Lismore, New South Wales, Australia |
| Major racing wins | |
| Caulfield Cup Hong Kong Cup Hong Kong Derby Hong Kong Vase King's Stand Stakes Takamatsunomiya Kinen | |
| Significant horses | |
| Beauty Generation, Little Bridge, Military Attack | |
Zac Purton (born 3 January 1983) is an Australian jockey who lives in Hong Kong.
Purton won the Brisbane jockeys' premiership as an apprentice in 2003, then moved to Sydney and was quickly amongst the top jockeys there before he began his Hong Kong career in 2007/08. In the 2013/14 season, Purton ended the 13-year championship reign of Douglas Whyte, becoming the first Australian jockey to win the Hong Kong title since Noel Barker in 1991.[1] (112 wins). He notched up 112 wins on his way to the title. Purton also raced to what was then the fastest 50 in Hong Kong history that season and became the second rider, after Whyte, to notch 100 wins in a season. Purton lost his title when he came second to João Moreira in 2014/15 with 95 wins, then was runner-up to Moreira again in 2015-16 and 2016-17 before reclaiming the Hong Kong championship in 2017-18 in a close finish.
With 854 career wins as a jockey in Hong Kong, Purton sits third on the list behind Whyte (1,791) and Tony Cruz (946). He represented Hong Kong in the World Super Jockey Series held by the Japan Racing Association in 2012, recording two wins and being crowned as champion. He won the prestigious Hong Kong Derby in 2015, with the John Size-trained Luger, and his Hong Kong Cup win on Time Warp in 2017 made Purton only the third jockey, after Gerald Mosse and Moreira, to have won all four of Hong Kong's December international races.
Major wins[edit]
- AJC Sires' Produce Stakes - (2) - Excites (2006), Yankee Rose (2016)
- Canterbury Stakes - (1) - Artorius (2023)
- Caulfield Cup - (1) - Admire Rakti (2014)
- Doncaster Handicap - (3) - Sacred Falls (2014), It's Somewhat (2017), Mr Brightside (2023)
- Epsom Handicap - (1) - Theseo (2008)
- The J. J. Atkins - (1) - Sacred Elixir (2016)
- George Main Stakes - (1) - Sacred Falls (2014)
- Randwick Guineas - (1) - Communist (2023)
- Norton Stakes - (1) - He's No Pie Eater (2007)
- The Galaxy - (1) - In Her Time (2018)
- Winx Stakes - (1) - Sir Dex (2005)
- King's Stand Stakes - (1) - Little Bridge (2012)
- Centenary Sprint Cup - (2) - Aerovelocity (2016), Lucky Sweynesse (2023)
- Chairman's Sprint Prize - (2) - Ivictory (2018), Lucky Sweynesse (2023)
- Champions Mile - (2) - Beauty Generation (2018,2019)
- Hong Kong Champions & Chater Cup - (2) - Exultant (2019,2020)
- Hong Kong Classic Cup - (1) - California Spangle (2022)
- Hong Kong Cup - (2) - Time Warp (2017), Normcore (2020)
- Hong Kong Derby - (1) - Luger (2015), Massive Soverign (2024)
- Hong Kong Gold Cup - (3) - Military Attack (2013), Time Warp (2018), Exultant (2019)
- Hong Kong Mile - (4) - Ambitious Dragon (2012), Beauty Only (2016), Beauty Generation (2018), California Spangle (2022)
- Hong Kong Sprint - (2) - Aerovelocity (2014,2016)
- Hong Kong Vase - (2) - Dominant (2013), Exultant (2018)
- Queen Elizabeth II Cup - (1) - Exultant (2020)
- Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup - (4) - Ambitious Dragon (2013), Beauty Generation (2018, 2019, 2020)
- Stewards' Cup - (3) - Fellowship (2010), Beauty Generation (2019), Waikuku (2022)
- Takamatsunomiya Kinen - (1) - Aerovelocity (2015)
- Kranji Mile - (2) - Southern Legend (2018, 2019)
- KrisFlyer International Sprint - (1) - Aerovelocity (2015)
- Singapore Airlines International Cup - (1) - Military Attack (2013)
- Macau Hong Kong Trophy - (1) - Romantic Touch (2017)
- Macau Derby - (1) - Sacred Man (2017)
Performance at the Hong Kong Jockey Club[edit]
| Seasons |
Total Rides |
No. of Wins |
No. of 2nds |
No. of 3rds |
No. of 4ths |
Stakes won |
| 2007/2008 | 420 | 29 | 23 | 30 | 26 | HK$22,437,475 |
| 2008/2009 | 489 | 43 | 40 | 37 | 37 | HK$37,035,812 |
| 2009/2010 | 518 | 48 | 56 | 38 | 50 | HK$48,676,250 |
| 2010/2011 | 527 | 53 | 40 | 45 | 57 | HK$41,472,500 |
| 2011/2012 | 482 | 64 | 53 | 58 | 42 | HK$50,993,250 |
| 2012/2013 | 550 | 88 | 86 | 51 | 52 | HK$94,153,400 |
| 2013/2014 | 639 | 112 | 86 | 68 | 56 | HK$101,465,937 |
| 2014/2015 | 481 | 95 | 66 | 41 | 40 | HK$107,683,325 |
| 2015/2016 | 531 | 80 | 74 | 49 | 51 | HK$97,453,000 |
| 2016/2017 | 604 | 107 | 92 | 60 | 48 | HK$140,821,315 |
| 2017/2018 | 635 | 136 | 107 | 64 | 60 | HK$181,824,240 |
| 2018/2019 | 680 | 168 | 111 | 69 | 62 | HK$234,989,515 |
| 2019/2020 | 707 | 147 | 101 | 100 | 56 | HK$202,112,646 |
| 2020/2021 | 713 | 125 | 117 | 75 | 72 | HK$173,768,000 |
| 2021/2022 | 674 | 136 | 97 | 96 | 66 | HK$185,307,365 |