The eyes of the racing world are on Hong Kong as one of the few circuits still competing while COVID-19 continues to affect life across the globe.

Those looking in will see a sport doing everything in its power to keep racing as safely as possible, with attendance slashed to a level that makes Happy Valley and Sha Tin among the most sparsely populated areas in a city of 7.5m people on race days.

Temperature checks, medical masks and social distancing are mandatory and measures that have enabled one of the world’s most intense cities to cope with the crisis better than most have helped the exploits of Hong Kong’s elite racehorses and horsemen resonate globally.

The Year of the Rat dawned on 27 January with a vastly-reduced Chinese New Year crowd and a vibrant young star called Golden Sixty producing an irresistible charge to land the Classic Mile. 

Ageing warriors Beauty Generation and Time Warp turned back the clock with thrilling G1 successes under Zac Purton and Joao Moreira in February and, having also landed the Classic Cup, Golden Sixty and Vincent Ho cemented their status as Hong Kong’s new power couple with a stunning BMW Hong Kong Derby victory in March.

But nothing fires up the final months of a season more than a head-to-head championship battle and, never content to do anything by halves, Hong Kong might just have two of them this season.

Moreira strikes back as heavyweights square off again

Memorable title battles have been a feature of Hong Kong racing in recent years and, with almost two thirds of the 2019/20 season complete, another is brewing as Moreira and Purton trade blows for the jockeys’ title.

With Moreira away in Japan for the first three months of last season, Purton enjoyed an armchair ride towards his third crown. But this year is shaping up to be much more like the 2018/19 campaign, when Hong Kong’s heavyweights squared off thrillingly for months on end.    

Moreira was well ahead on points, maintaining a double-figure lead through most of the first quarter of 2018. The gap widened to 15 as Purton suffered back-to-back bans in early April, but the Aussie came back swinging, drawing on all his skills and resources to maximise every opportunity. 

Moreira’s lead, cut to six at the beginning of May, was down to just two a month later. Sunday, 10 June was the day when Purton finally hit the front and the clinical Aussie saw the trip out thoroughly, moving four ahead at Happy Valley’s Season Finale meeting then withstanding a thrilling final-day flourish from an exceptional rival to secure the title by 136 winners to 134.

Purton made his move a little sooner this season, gradually erasing a double-figure deficit and nosing ahead for the first time in six months with a Happy Valley double on 25 March. However, Moreira responded with a superb Sunday five-timer to end the month two ahead and Righteous Doctrine’s easy success at Sha Tin’s midweek fixture leaves him ahead by 95-92.

“It looks like we could be going all the way again and it’s going to come down to which of us gets the better support,” says Purton. Meanwhile, Moreira feels “Zac is good for me and I’m good for him. We both push each other forward and I just think everyone will benefit from that.”

Purton adds: “Looking back to 2018, it was a huge effort that the month of May delivered. I’d much prefer to be 15 in front but, while the rest of the world shuts down, I hope we can keep going. The Jockey Club has introduced a lot of new measures which are restrictive but they are also necessary if we want to press on.”

Veterans show the way as Yiu and Lui dominate

Few saw it coming. Correction, nobody saw it coming, but the two Hong Kong trainers who got off to a flyer last September remain clear of the pack as March turns to April.

Ricky Yiu and Francis Lui have been rivals in various guises for the better part of five decades, first as journeymen jockeys in the mid-1970’s and early 1980’s (Lui led that race with 36 winners to Yiu’s 11) and for the last 25 years as two of Hong Kong’s most familiar homegrown handlers.

Most of those years have been spent in vain pursuit of John Size and John Moore – who now have a remarkable 18 titles between them – but Size only wrapped up his 11th crown by 78 wins to 75 in July on the final day of last season, having led by 54-40 at the beginning of April.

A measure of the leap made by Yiu and Liu is shown by the fact that neither finished in the top 10 last season. Liu finished 11th on 31 wins with Yiu four places back on 29 but both have thrived through the first seven months of the current campaign with results that are strikingly similar.

Yiu has led for the most part – taking a lead of seven into 2020 – but Lui has reduced the gap bit by bit and both men have maintained impressive strike rates while sending out fewer runners than all their five nearest pursuers.

“Fit and healthy horses,” is the simple mantra of both men when asked about their consistency and Yiu leads by 45 to 44 as the duel moves into the crucial final third of the season.

Is it too late for one of the chasing pack to get into the argument? Moore’s golden run through the spring and summer of 2019 shows nothing can be taken for granted and Tony Cruz and Danny Shum (currently both 10 off the pace on 35) have plenty of promising horses yet to run.

A dramatic late run by perennial champion Size can’t be ruled out after a Sunday treble took him to 33 wins, but at this stage it still looks like there will be a new name on the trainers’ roll of honour in July.

The last time two homegrown handlers battled for the title was in the 2012/13 season, when Dennis Yip headed Tony Cruz in the very last contest of a 769-race season as Flying Elite and Ben So roared home amid jubilant scenes at a packed Happy Valley.

Purely by coincidence, the last meeting of the season will be staged at the spectacular city track again this July. It’s asking a lot for a similarly thrilling finish seven years on but, with 30 meetings and the better part of 300 races left, there is ample time for a few more dramatic twists to the plot.

Five star performers – key horses the title chasers will rely on 

Francis Lui  

More Than This – Derby third confirmed his position among best of his peers
Valiant Dream – Reliable sprinter who deserves to get his head in front again
This Is Class – Improving fast after two all-the-way Valley victories
Massive Pocket – Much improved sprinter after two Happy Valley wins
Holy Heart – Knocking at the door both on turf and the all-weather

Ricky Yiu  

Voyage Warrior – Smart sprinter, still young enough to improve
Mighty Giant – Impressive in three 1400m wins, progressing fast
Good Luck Friend – Strong win on second start, surely more to come
Preciousship – Highly consistent in good 1600m races this season
Cheerful Leader – Progressive at 1600m and open to improvement

 Zac Purton 

Beauty Generation – Hong Kong hero who returns in Sunday’s Chairman’s Trophy
Aethero – Exciting young sprinter back from a break at Sha Tin this weekend
Exultant – Champion middle distance stayer bound for QEII Cup in April
Wellington – Unbeaten in three and looks like there is much more to come    
Lucky More – Just held on for latest win but could improve again in Class 2

Joao Moreira

Waikuku – Star miler renews rivalry with Beauty Generation this Sunday
Hot King Prawn – Elite sprinter who clashes with Aethero again on Sunday
Seattle Choice – Fast-improving youngster who has Class 1 potential
Ping Hai Bravo – Powerful and progressive after convincing Class 3 win
Righteous Doctrine – Thriving on the all-weather after easy midweek success