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jockeys, Hong Kong, Moreira, Purton

Jan 22, 2019
7 min

The Day of the Demon is over - or has just begun again

As July, 2014 opened, I had been working in Hong Kong as a racing journalist for 13 years and I had only seen one man crowned champion jo...

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Alan Aitken

Jan 16, 2019
3 min

Keep cheering home those seconds

Punters get frustrated by them, horses are often the subject of denigration when they string together minor placings and trainers attract...

50 viewsWrite a comment

Alan Aitken

Jan 8, 2019
5 min

Don't be fooled by Star's "flukey" win

Ka Ying Star's opening bid for the four-year-old series on Sunday came with plenty of favours from rivals but it should not be undersold ...

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Is Hong Kong's December showpiece under the threat of Japan Cupification?

Alan Aitken

Dec 13, 2018
4 min

Is Hong Kong's December showpiece under the threat of Japan Cupification?

On a cool, glorious Sha Tin afternoon, the Longines International that carries the least enthusiasm for the local fans was the key result...

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Alan Aitken

Dec 12, 2018
5 min

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

Zac Purton had a good day on Sunday but he did miss the chance of his career. A few fellow riders had ribbed him after the Jockey Club Mi...

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Could the locals come in from the cold in the Vase to sweep Longines HKIR?

Alan Aitken

Dec 8, 2018
7 min

Could the locals come in from the cold in the Vase to sweep Longines HKIR?

Hong Kong’s balmy winter weather is taking a wicked turn for the worse this weekend, with a sharp temperature drop and even the remarkabl...

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Why the International Jockeys' Championship is a minefield

Alan Aitken

Dec 6, 2018
3 min

Why the International Jockeys' Championship is a minefield

It might seem an odd thing to write about after the event is over, but the IJC every year is a remarkable contest and a remarkable contra...

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Beware the Jockey Club day results when you line them up on December 9

Alan Aitken

Nov 21, 2018
4 min

Beware the Jockey Club day results when you line them up on December 9

The rubber hits the road for the Longines Hong Kong International Races today when the invited fields with foreign-based runners are anno...

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Saddling half the field not all beer and skittles says Size (but it's a nice problem to have)

Alan Aitken

Nov 15, 2018
4 min

Saddling half the field not all beer and skittles says Size (but it's a nice problem to have)

It's the problem every trainer wants to have but John Size says there is a downside to turning up to Group races with half the field. Siz...

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How close can Joao & Zac get to a rematch in 2018-19?

Alan Aitken

Nov 13, 2018
6 min

How close can Joao & Zac get to a rematch in 2018-19?

Last season, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira staged one of the great championship stoushes of all time with just two separating the riders at...

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Freedman farewell leaves the ball in the Jockey Club's court for the next expat

Alan Aitken

Nov 8, 2018
3 min

Freedman farewell leaves the ball in the Jockey Club's court for the next expat

Michael Freedman's final day as a Hong Kong-based trainer on Saturday, ironically, holds at least the pre-race the promise of being one o...

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Numbers down but quality rises in 2018 Longines HKIR entries

Alan Aitken

Oct 25, 2018
3 min

Numbers down but quality rises in 2018 Longines HKIR entries

The path to the Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) on December 9 is open with the release of the first entries for the four Gr...

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The tracks are about to get a whole lot bumpier for the Poon Train

Alan Aitken

Oct 24, 2018
4 min

The tracks are about to get a whole lot bumpier for the Poon Train

Matthew Poon may well graduate from his apprenticeship with a 70th Hong Kong tonight at Happy, but what lies immediately ahead for him th...

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Beware the knee jerk reaction to Sunday's G2 wins - are they the HKIR heroes?

Alan Aitken

Oct 18, 2018
3 min

Beware the knee jerk reaction to Sunday's G2 wins - are they the HKIR heroes?

If history teaches us anything about Sunday's two Group Two rehearsals at Sha Tin for the international day showstopper, it's that they n...

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Take me back, baby - the Magic Man will return to Hong Kong

Alan Aitken

Oct 11, 2018
3 min

Take me back, baby - the Magic Man will return to Hong Kong

Some weeks ago, I put a hypothetical to a senior Hong Kong Jockey Club official - if Joao Moreira fails to pass his test in Japan to ride...

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Moreira's absence a loss for Hong Kong - but not through the betting windows

Alan Aitken

Oct 2, 2018
5 min

Moreira's absence a loss for Hong Kong - but not through the betting windows

When Hong Kong's betting turnover lagged in the first few meetings of the season, the idea was murmured that the loss of Joao Moreira to ...

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Stable transfers looking an even better bet than usual with a new trainer in town

Alan Aitken

Sep 27, 2018
3 min

Stable transfers looking an even better bet than usual with a new trainer in town

Freshman trainer Jimmy Ting couldn't have made a much better start to his career than he has in the first four meetings, and this season ...

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Sometimes, it turns out that you're just holding the map upside down

Alan Aitken

Sep 11, 2018
4 min

Sometimes, it turns out that you're just holding the map upside down

The old 'orange box theory' was alive and well at Sha Tin on Sunday when the most obvious tactics in the seventh race turned a slowly-run...

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Have absent riders left anything for Purton - or only his rivals?

Alan Aitken

Sep 4, 2018
4 min

Have absent riders left anything for Purton - or only his rivals?

Zac Purton made an interesting point last week when he said the new landscape on the Hong Kong jockey scene is an opportunity for others ...

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Shum and Cruz looking to show the way on day one at Sha Tin again

Alan Aitken

Aug 28, 2018
3 min

Shum and Cruz looking to show the way on day one at Sha Tin again

The 2018-19 Hong Kong racing season kicks off on Sunday at Sha Tin with all the questions still to be answered on the track but punters a...

13 viewsWrite a comment

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Alan Aitken

Nov 19
6 min

Should the Longines IJC be left to randomness?

Kudos for the Hong Kong Jockey Club being able to pull together an attractive LONGINES International Jockeys Championship (IJC) at Happy ...

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Alan Aitken

Aug 31
9 min

The boys are back in town - will the Magic Man turn the tables?

Don't let the friendly faces on the ground fool you - on horseback, Zac Purton and Joao Moreira are the fiercest of rivals and Hong Kong ...

118 views Write a comment

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Results

The Day of the Demon is over - or has just begun again

Keep cheering home those seconds

Don't be fooled by Star's "flukey" win

Is Hong Kong's December showpiece under the threat of Japan Cupification?

Beauty in the eye of the beholder

Could the locals come in from the cold in the Vase to sweep Longines HKIR?

Why the International Jockeys' Championship is a minefield

Beware the Jockey Club day results when you line them up on December 9

Saddling half the field not all beer and skittles says Size (but it's a nice problem to have)

How close can Joao & Zac get to a rematch in 2018-19?

Freedman farewell leaves the ball in the Jockey Club's court for the next expat

Numbers down but quality rises in 2018 Longines HKIR entries

The tracks are about to get a whole lot bumpier for the Poon Train

Beware the knee jerk reaction to Sunday's G2 wins - are they the HKIR heroes?

Take me back, baby - the Magic Man will return to Hong Kong

Moreira's absence a loss for Hong Kong - but not through the betting windows

Stable transfers looking an even better bet than usual with a new trainer in town

Sometimes, it turns out that you're just holding the map upside down

Have absent riders left anything for Purton - or only his rivals?

Shum and Cruz looking to show the way on day one at Sha Tin again

Should the Longines IJC be left to randomness?

The boys are back in town - will the Magic Man turn the tables?