Selection for the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) on December 6 is going down to the wire, with a quartet of riders to vie for one spot in the prestigious competition at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
Zac Purton is already confirmed for the IJC as Hong Kong’s reigning champion jockey. With Hugh Bowman, who sits second in this year’s premiership, sidelined after fracturing his right scapula and three vertebrae earlier this month, Karis Teetan – who sits on 18 wins – is certain to join Purton in the line-up.
Angus Chung Yik-lai (17 wins) is ineligible for the contest because he is an apprentice, meaning Vincent Ho Chak-yiu (11) is all but assured of grabbing the local rider spot thanks to his four-win lead over Matthew Chadwick.
That leaves one final spot for the next-highest-ranked rider in the premiership and the field will be finalised following a four-way battle at Wednesday night’s meeting.
Tied on 10 wins for the season, Brenton Avdulla, Lyle Hewitson and Andrea Atzeni are one victory clear of Luke Ferraris, with Avdulla holding a slim overall advantage thanks to his 14 seconds compared to Hewitson’s 13 and Atzeni’s seven.
After notching his first Hong Kong four-timer at Sha Tin on Sunday, the 32-year-old jockey heads to the city circuit with a six-strong book of rides on the eight-race card.
Among Avdulla’s chances of booking his ticket to the IJC are Savvy Delight in the Class Four Shek Lei Pui Handicap (1,000m) and impressive last-start winner Kyrus Unicorn in the Class Four American Club Challenge Cup (1,650m).
Winless from nine outings last term, Kyrus Unicorn relished the step up to 2,000m to decisively get the better of his seven rivals at Sha Tin last month, and Avdulla will be hoping the return to Happy Valley will prove no issue.
Hewitson will leave no stone unturned in his hunt for a spot at the IJC, with a full quota of eight rides.
The South African jockey’s winning possibilities include Brave Star, who was narrowly denied on his latest outing at Happy Valley last month, in the Class Three High Island Handicap (1,200m), and Gorgeous Vitality in the Shek Lei Pu Handicap.
Atzeni will rely on four mounts at the midweek meeting, but he will have to wait until the finale – the High Island Handicap – for his most likely winning chance.
The Sardinian-born rider will partner Golden Artie, who recorded a second Hong Kong victory last month.
The likelihood of Luke Ferraris joining the cast of overseas stars at the IJC looks relatively slim, with the 21-year-old heading to Happy Valley with only five rides, including Scotch Tycoon in the Class Four Plover Cove Handicap (1,200m).
The eight overseas stars set to light up Happy Valley on December 6 are headlined by James McDonald, who will begin his five-week stint in Hong Kong later this week, and two-time IJC winner Ryan Moore.
There will be two debutants in the contest, with Australian-based British jockey Rachel King and Kazakh rider Bauyrzhan Murzabayev taking part in the IJC for the first time, while Tom Marquand, his wife Hollie Doyle, Japan’s Yuga Kawada and Frenchman Mickael Barzalona complete the field.
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