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South China Morning Post
09-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
Purton to miss Ka Ying Rising ride: ‘it's heartbreaking'
Hong Kong's seven-time champion jockey could be sidelined for as long as a month after Sunday's horror three-horse fall by Sam Agars on Monday, February 10, 2025 6:22 AM Zac Purton wins the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) aboard Ka Ying Rising last month. Photos: Kenneth Chan Zac Purton will miss Ka Ying Rising's run in the Group One Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) on February 23 after breaking his left big toe in Sunday's horror three-horse pile up at Sha Tin. Sent flying into the Sha Tin turf after Legend St Paul's broke down and skittled his mount, Silvery Breeze, in Sunday's ninth event, Purton will undergo surgery on his toe on Monday morning. The seven-time champion jockey has been told he is facing at least four weeks out of the saddle. 'It's heartbreaking. I'll miss Ka Ying, I'll miss Galaxy Patch [in the Group One Gold Cup (2,000m)], I'll miss Packing Angel [in the Classic Cup (1,800m)]. Hopefully I can get back for the Derby,' said Purton. 'The toe is broken and it needs to be realigned. They're trying to work out whether they're going to put in screws and a plate, or pin it. 'I've also damaged ligaments in the same ankle and the ankle is obviously very swollen. I haven't really had a chance to put any weight on it yet, so we'll see how that goes. 'It's obviously disappointing but it couldn't have been worse than what it was.' Purton had been in white-hot form before the tumble, racking up 20 winners in January and four already in February, including two earlier on Sunday's card. He has been in the saddle for all 10 of Ka Ying Rising's wins, including a run of nine in a row featuring two Group One successes. Purton is joined by Angus Chung Yik-lai, Keith Yeung Ming-lun and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu on the injury list after an incident-marred day at Sha Tin, with more information on that trio's condition expected later on Monday. Ho may have suffered fractures to his neck and shoulder region when falling from Oldtown race six, while Chung has bruising to his face and upper body after coming off Legend St Paul's and Yeung is nursing a bruised upper thigh after his mount, Lupo Solitario, was also caught up in the race nine carnage.
South China Morning Post
09-02-2025
- Sport
- South China Morning Post
La Forza dominates a day after dumping rider, while Golden Sixty lands in Japan
Jamie Richards-trained speedster overcomes a trackwork mishap to return to the winners' list in style at Sha Tin on Sunday by Jay RooneySam Agars on Sunday, February 9, 2025 8:21 PM Zac Purton spears La Forza to victory at Sha Tin on Sunday. Photo: Kenneth Chan It wasn't your typical preparation but La Forza showed no ill effects of a little Saturday trackwork mishap when storming back onto the winners' list at Sha Tin on Sunday. After shying at something near the big screen while working on Saturday morning, La Forza dislodged his rider and galloped riderless for two laps of the small all-weather track. 'It was just unfortunate that he shied basically at the TV screen. But he didn't go too fast when he did a little quiet lap without the rider on and thankfully everything's gone nice and smoothly for him today,' said trainer Jamie Richards after La Forza strode to victory in the Class Four TVB Yan Chai Charity Show Handicap (1,000m). Racing for the first time since May last year after suffering from shin soreness following one win from three runs in Griffin company in his debut season, La Forza pinged out of gate seven and was quickly speared over to the outside rail by Zac Purton. After comfortably controlling proceedings from the front, La Forza dashed clear of $2.6 favourite Enjoy Golf inside the final 200m to post a two-and-a-half-length success at $7.35. 'He's a horse who was very immature last season and we backed off him. We thought we had him ready to go earlier in the season and we just had to back off him again because he was just a little bit shin sore,' said Richards. 'He was very weak last season but he's put on a lot of weight and strengthened up. I've got a good team of staff and the Conghua stable must take a bit of credit for this horse because he's spent most of his time up there. 'He's only a three-year-old but I'm hoping that he's got more ratings points in hand.' Race five delivered a far less pleasing outcome for Richards and Purton, with debutant Autumn Vibes rearing as the gates opened before running on strongly from the back of the field to finish third as the $1.9 favourite. Purton did go onto complete a double, saluting aboard Light Years Charm for David Eustace before his afternoon in the saddle ended when he fell from Silvery Breeze for the same trainer two races later. Lyle Hewitson also enjoyed a brace thanks to victories aboard Special Hedge and Gallant Epoch in the opening two races. — HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) February 9, 2025 Sixty's snowy welcome Champion Hong Kong galloper Golden Sixty has finally made it to Japan, with the 10-time Group One winner greeted by snow on his arrival at Northern Horse Park in Hokkaido. Last seen on a racetrack in April last year, Golden Sixty was officially retired in September before having to quarantine in Australia en route to Japan, where owner Stanley Chan Ka-leung, trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai and jockey Vincent Ho Chak-yiu are planning to visit him regularly. Brightside begins path to HK Mr Brightside started his path towards a likely trip to Hong Kong with a close defeat in Saturday's Group One CF Orr Stakes (1,400m), while there was a successful Hong Kong flavour to one of the support features at the big Caulfield meeting. Trained by David Hayes' sons Ben, Will and JD, Mr Brightside fell narrowly short of a ninth elite-level success when he was chased down late by Another Wil first up. While the Bullbars gelding has often been considered for trips to Hong Kong but never made it to the city, the Hayes boys have indicated the Group One Champions Mile in April is firmly on the radar for their stable star. The training partnership claimed a maiden international Group One success earlier on Saturday when Here To Shock recorded a dominant victory in the BCD Group Sprint (1,400m) in New Zealand. 'Hopefully we can add another one with Brightside in Hong Kong eventually,' JD Hayes told Australia's Channel 7. Angel Capital, raced by Hong Kong-based Upper Bloodstock, shot to favouritism for the Group One Australian Guineas (1,600m) with a first-up win in the Group Two Autumn Stakes (1,400m) at Caulfield. The Harry Angel colt notched his fourth win from seven starts with a powerful return, scoring by a length and a half under jockey Ben Melham. 'He'll go straight to the [Australian] Guineas, I'd say, and then if he ran well there, we'd go to the All-Star Mile,' trainer Clinton McDonald said. 'Then we'd pull up stumps and get him ready for the spring.' Elsewhere, Zac Purton's bid for more Australian Group One glory was scuppered when Isthmus was withdrawn from Saturday's Lightning Stakes (1,000m) at Flemington with a throat issue. The champion Hong Kong jockey was booked for the ride by co-trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman, but Isthmus was found to have an epiglottic entrapment after a Flemington jumpout on Friday.
