By Alan Carasso
HONG KONG — A dozen of the world's best jockeys are set to lock horns in the Longines International Jockeys' Championship in a program that begins at 6:30 p.m. local time at picturesque Happy Valley Racecourse on Hong Kong Island.
Eight foreign riders are in the mix, none more prominent than Ryan Moore, who is not only a force to be reckoned with as they scrimmage for the HK$500,000 Wednesday evening, but also during Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races, where he rides the favorites in two of the four events–reigning Japanese Horse of the Year Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) in the G1 Hong Kong Cup a year after taking out the Mile; and Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), the GI Breeders' Cup Turf winner who looks to make it back-to-back scores in the G1 Hong Kong Vase.
Wednesday's competition, arguably the best of its ilk anywhere in the world, will be anything but a walkover for Moore, who is set to be crowned the Longines World's Best Jockey during a ceremony Friday evening at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.
Any one of the 11 other athletes signed on for the IJC is capable of taking down his rivals, including Hugh Bowman. The regular pilot for Australian Horse of the Year Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}), Bowman is no stranger to the Hong Kong faithful, as he jetted up from Sydney on several occasions during the last racing season and fostered a winning partnership with the John Moore-trained Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}). Together, the duo defeated a quality field in the prestigious Hong Kong Derby, then in one of the more devastating performances of the year, smashed a field of talented international gallopers in the G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup.
“My rides appear to be better, on paper, than last year so that's the good news,” Bowman said Tuesday. “However, it's all very well to have what looks a nice book of rides but you've got to have things go your way. You need some luck around the [Happy] Valley.”
Joao Moreira is having another smashing season in Hong Kong and sits atop the jockeys' premiership with a healthy advantage over Zac Purton. A former winner of the IJC in 2012, Moreira is as dangerous as ever, but he did not draw the most formidable book of rides when mounts were allocated Monday.
American-based riders have not fared well down the years in the IJC, but French-born Florent Geroux is having a true breakout season stateside, with 10 Grade I victories to his credit, and unlike Moreira, appears to have had better luck at Monday's draw. Geroux is relishing the opportunity ahead.
“My rides appear to be better, on paper, than last year so that's the good news. However, it's all very well to have what looks a nice book of rides but you've got to have things go your way. You need some luck around the (Happy) Valley,” Bowman said.
South Africa's Gavin Lerena snatched victory in the final leg last year and is looking forward to defending his title.
“It's fantastic to be here and to test yourself against the very best,” he commented. “You wouldn't pass it up for anything. I'm not too sure about the strength of my rides but that was also the case last year. I'll just go out there and enjoy it, do my best and hope for the best.”
Wednesday's other competitors include Mickael Barzalona, Mirco Demuro, Pat Smullen, Keita Tosaki, Zac Purton, Douglas Whyte and Derek Leung.
The IJC is a four-race series for which the riders will be awarded points on a 12-6-4 scale for finishing in the top three. In addition to first-place money, the runner-up will receive a check for HK$200,000, while the third placegetter takes home HK$100,000. Post time for the first leg of the IJC (race 4) is 7:40 p.m. Hong Kong time (7:10 a.m. EST/12:10 p.m. BST), with the series to include races five (7:40), seven (8:40) and eight (9:10).
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