Purton cuts Moreira's lead to nine
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HONG KONG • Zac Purton's assault on Joao Moreira's jockeys' championship lead continued at Happy Valley on Wednesday, when the Australian posted a quartet to slash his rival's buffer to a single digit.
With nine winners from 18 rides in the past two meetings, Purton's bombardment has seen his deficit to Moreira tumble from 18 to nine.
The score is now 74-65, with the Brazilian still sidelined for the next four meetings.
"Hopefully, there's a few more to come," said Purton, who teamed successfully with trainers Francis Lui (Stoltz and Party Warrior), Benno Yung (Dragon Pride) and Manfred Man (Lucky Sweynesse) to take riding honours.
As Purton's form surge continued, Harry Bentley also saw his stock rise. He clinched the evening's feature - the Class 3 Victoria Park Handicap over 1,650m - aboard the Caspar Fownes-trained Invincible Missile with a finely judged ride.
The Englishman boosted his season's haul to 14 wins, after weaving his way through the field before guiding the son of Smart Missile to victory in the meeting's finale.
HKJC