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Ex-pat Australian jockey Zac Purton maintains his second place on the Hong Kong Jockey's Championship after Sunday with a strong win in the HK$3m, HKG2 The Sprint Cup (1200m) on the Danny Shum trained Little Bridge (NZ) at Sha Tin.
Photo by HKJC
Purton has been in good form this season and he is in second place on the table with 45 winner's to-date behind Douglas Whyte with 86 winners, and ahead of Oliver Doleuze with 39 winners.
Purton broke well with Little Bridge from barrier two and then he was content to settle in second as Tim Clark took up the lead with Leading City (AUS). Rich Unicorn and Captain Sweet followed.
Clark opened up a 2L lead on Leading City and they maintained this to the 400m while Purton watched carefully from second.
The lead was whittled away with the passing sectionals and with 75m to run Purton, riding hands and heels, had Little Bridge in the lead. They then went away to win by 3/4L with Leading City
(Sharmardal) maintaining second and Captain Sweet (AUS) (Fastnet Rock) and Brett Prebble third, the margin 1 1/2L.
The time was 1.09.18 on the soft track that had received torrential rain prior to commencement of the programme.
“He is better held up to let him sprint,” said Purton.
“Leading City really started to put pressure on at the 600m and he tried to drag it out of us. So I just had to wait a bit and save a bit and then when I let him go he did not ping because of that.
“But he still got the job done and he won well so I am happy,” he said.
Shum indicated after the race that Little Bridge will travel to England for the Royal Ascot sprints. Little Bridge holds entries in the Group1 King's Stand Stakes (1000m) and the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes (1200m).
Little Bridge is a five-year-old by Faltaat out of the Gold Brose mare Golden Rose and this was his seventh win from 19 starts. With three placings he has earned stakes of HK$11,288,750 for owner Ko Kam Piu.