The Australian Zac Purton describes his emergence as the Hong Kong jockey with the most wins as a “great adventure.” Nicole, his wife, calls it a “fairy tale” in telling how an intended six-month stay turned into almost two decades of success.
They certainly embodied the spirit of adventurers when they left Australia for Hong Kong in 2007. He was 24, and she was 19.
Zac Purton, who will be competing this month at the Longines Hong Kong International Races, was a promising talent then. He viewed a stint in ultracompetitive Hong Kong as the best way to hone his skills.
“I wanted to become the dominant rider in Australia,” he said in an interview last month. “In order to do that, I thought I needed to go to Hong Kong, ride against the best jockeys, learn what I could learn and then go back to Australia.”
Nicole said she followed her heart when she left behind a job as a real estate property manager and so many family members and friends. She had anticipated a return soon.
“I was very nervous and a little bit scared,” she said, adding, “Zac’s the kind of personality that he’s not really afraid of anything, so he makes you feel more brave than you probably are.”
From the time he was a boy, Purton was accustomed to success in any athletic endeavor. Soccer, cricket, tennis — he said he excelled at them all. He expected to win and possessed an ability to lead his teams to victory, whatever it took. He was a crack sprinter and was equally hard to beat as distances increased.
Purton, now 42, compares his arrival in Hong Kong to “getting thrown into the fry pan.” Horses were initially hard to find; those with legitimate shots were harder still to secure. “I thought I could do better with more opportunities,” he said, “so we decided to stay a little bit longer.”
This is where the fairy tale kicks in. In what Purton described as a “cutthroat, competitive environment,” his talent was unmistakable. Owners and trainers, initially disarmed by his often blunt opinion, came to appreciate his horsemanship and to value his feedback on their runners.
“I’m very happy we decided to stay a little bit longer,” Purton said. “Great things have happened with that decision.”
He reached 100 wins in a little more than two years. He captured the first of eight Hong Kong jockey championships in 2014. He became the only jockey to win every Group 1 race in Hong Kong. On Jan. 22 at Happy Valley Racecourse, the short-term stay that turned into so much more brought an accomplishment he never contemplated.
Purton surpassed the South African jockey Douglas Whyte as Hong Kong’s all-time leader when View of the World gave him 1,814 wins from 10,358 mounts. Whyte retired in 2019 with 1,813 victories from 12,269 mounts.
Purton and Nicole were married in 2012. They have two children, a daughter, Roxy, 11, and a son, Cash, 8. “We just love that they’ve had the opportunity to grow up in this wonderful city,” Nicole said.
Nicole understands the many demands placed on her husband because she knows what it takes to compete at the highest levels. Her father, Jim Cassidy, is in the racing hall of fames in Australia and in New Zealand for his accomplishments as a jockey.
Her early jitters had everything to do with venturing into the unknown and nothing to do with her partner’s abilities.
“I never thought for a second it wouldn’t work,” she said. “I was so confident that he would do well, I didn’t see it any other way. I just had this long-term goal of him being super successful and at the top.”
Purton’s horses typically break cleanly. He is more aggressive than some of his rivals. When split-second decisions must be made, he almost always makes the right call as each race unfolds.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, is among Purton’s admirers.
“He is intensely professional, fiercely competitive and occasionally edgy, but that’s a trait shared by many great athletes,” Engelbrecht-Bresges said in an email. “His drive to win and his meticulous preparation are key ingredients in his continued success.”
As in any memorable fairy tale, the hero has endured his share of adversity. He was involved in a riding accident in 2021, when the horse in front of him collapsed in the Hong Kong Sprint. With no time to maneuver, Purton and his mount crashed to the turf, with three horses piling on top of them.
Purton fractured several ribs, a wrist and broke his nose. Several hours later, he was calling trainers as he prepared for his comeback. He returned to action a few weeks later.
There is always more to do. He is enjoying success with the 5-year-old gelding Ka Ying Rising, the world’s highest-rated sprinter. On Oct. 18, the runner became the first overseas horse to capture the Everest, at Australia’s Radwick Racecourse when he won by 1 ¼ lengths. The contest is the world’s richest race on turf with a purse of 20 million Australian dollars, or about $13 million.
Even as he chases 2,000 wins, Purton feels his career winding down. “Father Time beats everyone,” he said.
He has battled an extremely sore right hip and expressed the desire to retire while on top. He and Nicole have begun discussing their next move.
“Australia is always home,” Purton said. “That’s where I grew up. At the same time, Hong Kong feels like home. We love the city, we love the culture, we love the people.”
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