Zac Purton makes best start to season in Hong Kong with another Sha Tin quadruple driver | HK Racing

Zac Purton set a new personal best for the start of the season as he repeated his quadruple feat from the season opener with another dominant performance in Sha Tin on Sunday.

Wins with Super Infinity, Charmander, Devas Twelve and Super Win Dragon took the seven-time champion Hong Kong jockey’s total to nine wins – his best result from the first three meetings of a campaign.

In his record-breaking 2022-23 season, in which he made history with 179 wins, Purton recorded seven in the first three games.

“It’s a good way to start the season,” Purton said.

“I’d like to get a bit more support if I can get it. So hopefully the other coaches will want to train a few winners and we can work together.”

Purton began his winning streak on the Mark Newnham-trained Super Infinity, with whom he took his first career win in the Class Four Kwong Fuk Handicap (1,200m).

Purton sent the hot $1.7 favourite to the front to sit at the top of the pace and he made a run for it by taking the lead from Affirm at 200m, beating King Oberon by a length and a quarter, with Jubilant Winner a fast third.

Newnham was delighted and continued his successful start to the season with a fourth win, with the best result coming, he said, from Super Infinity, who had finished in the top four in his first three starts.

“He’s not finished yet, but he was good enough to win today,” Newnham said.

“Zac rode him really well. He’s still quite inexperienced, he got a little bit lost when he passed the inside horse, but he kept going, did his job and I think he’ll be better again even towards the middle to the end of the season.”

Purton followed Charmander in the next race, who provided David Hall with the first leg of a double with victory in the Class Five Wah Fu Handicap (1,400m).

Charmander rode patiently to the last position after jumping from box 12. He raced to the finish and beat Perfect Peach by a head to take his first win at box 24.

“He was held up longer than he thought, Zac said, and he had to do quite a long sprint, so it was a decent win,” Hall said.

“He’s only done a couple of runs for me and (adding sights) was one of the gear changes we made and both of his runs were very positive.”

Mr Energia crowned Hall’s double with a quick win in the Class Four Hing Wah Handicap (1,200m) on dirt under Harry Bentley.

Purton later teamed up with trainer Chris So Wai-yin for a racing duo, guiding Devas Twelve to victory in the Class Four Tung Wah Group Of Hospitals Challenge Cup (1,400m) and Super Win Dragon in the Class Three Oi Tung Handicap (1,200m) on dirt.

“He did well as a young horse last season, he made progress with every run and got that win and then he went over the top,” said Purton after Devas Twelve held on down the final stretch to beat Dragon Four Seas by a head.

“He had enough and then he got a break in the off-season and came back a better horse.”

Purton has secured all three winners of So this season, with Go Go Go also giving the pair a perfect start in the first race at the season opener at Sha Tin.

“I asked Zac to ride Go Go Go and the two winners today in the summer,” So said.

“Last year Super Win Dragon had surgery on both front pasterns. He had a long break and came back at the end of the season. I spoke to the owner and said, ‘if he performs this season, we’ll keep racing him. If not, we might retire him’.”

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