Trebles for Purton and Moreira

Joao Moreira has become the fifth rider to reach 700 winners in Hong Kong but a treble at Sha Tin has not been enough to close in on Zac Purton’s premiership lead with his rival also producing three winners.

Moreira, who is to relocate to Japan in the new season, has won the past three premierships since moving from Singapore.

Purton won the jockeys’ championship in 2013/14 and maintained his five-win lead after Saturday with seven meetings remaining this season.

Two of Purton’s winners were for trainer Frankie Lor, former assistant to John Size who will notch a record 10th Hong Kong premiership this season.

Lor finished the day on 59, a record for a first-season trainer and one more than Size’s tally in his first year.

“I am very proud of reaching this number, but it is a little bit different, because when the boss got 58, there were only 78 meetings,” Lor said.

“Now, there are 88 meetings and we are already at 81 so it has taken me longer!

“When I got my licence last year, I would have been very happy with 20 or 30 winners, but then the horses arrived and I thought that I had some horses in my stable that were rated nicely, so I’ve been chasing hard for a high number since then.”