Horse Racing
Season
Zac Purton, Karis Teetan and Derek Leung complete stellar line-up for 2017 LONGINES IJC

22/11/2017 23:44

Zac Purton, Karis Teetan and Derek Leung will join Joao Moreira as Hong Kong’s representatives in the 2017 LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship on Wednesday 6 December, when 12 top class jockeys will clash at Happy Valley to battle for the title.

The list of this year’s eight invited jockeys for the LONGINES IJC was released on 15 November. As Hong Kong’s current Champion Jockey, the 2012 IJC victor Joao Moreira has the first of four berths allocated to riders from Hong Kong’s excellent talent pool. The last three places are filled by two of Hong Kong’s current leading jockeys and the leading local jockey (a graduate of the HKJC Apprentice Jockeys’ School and currently claiming no more than a 3lb allowance) as of 22 November.

Purton and Teetan are the second and third-placed riders – behind Moreira – in the Hong Kong premiership standings, with 30 wins and 20 wins apiece as of 22 November, while Leung is the leading local jockey with 14 victories. These three riders have therefore been allocated the three remaining places. In accordance with the prospectus for the LONGINES IJC races, Leung’s normal two-pound weight allowance will not be applicable in the four legs of this event.

The full list of 12 jockeys who will participate in the 2017 LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship is as follows:

List of invited jockeys for 2017 LONGINES IJC

Jockey Remarks
2016 IFHA LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Ryan Moore Two-time winner of both the IJC and World’s Best Jockey Award. Three-time UK champion jockey and has 109 G1 wins to his name.
IJC Defending Champion Hugh Bowman Last year’s LONGINES IJC champion. Leads the LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Award standings and recently won a third Cox Plate aboard Winx.
Brazil Leandro Henrique Champion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and currently leads the title race at Gavea Racecourse.
France Pierre-Charles Boudot France’s champion jockey last year with a European record 300 wins.
Hong Kong Joao Moreira Reigning Hong Kong Champion Jockey; IJC winner in 2012.
Hong Kong Zac Purton Second-highest ranked Hong Kong jockey as of 22 November. 2013/2014 Hong Kong champion jockey.
Hong Kong Karis Teetan Third highest-ranked Hong Kong jockey as of 22 November. South African champion apprentice in 2008
Hong Kong Derek Leung Leading local jockey as of 22 November. Winner of Asian Young Guns Challenge in 2010. 2016/17 Tony Cruz Award winner.
Italy Cristian Demuro Two-time Italian champion jockey and holds the record for most wins in an Italian season (264).
Japan Keita Tosaki Third in the last two IJCs. Three-time JRA champion jockey and has more than 3,100 career wins.
UK Silvestre de Sousa Two-time and current UK champion jockey, and won the Dubai World Cup in 2014.
USA Flavien Prat U.S.-based Frenchman, a two-time Breeders’ Cup winner, who in September won three G1s in one day.
Zac Purton
Zac Purton
Karis Teetan
Karis Teetan
Derek Leung
Derek Leung