Zac Purton partners Ka Ying Rising to a trial victory last week. Photos: Kenneth Chan
Zac Purton will have just one ride to get a feel for Hong Kong’s new whip rules before partnering Ka Ying Rising at Sunday’s season-opening meeting and the star jockey admits he’s not a fan of the change.
While in the past there has been no limit on how often jockeys in Hong Kong can use the whip, officials confirmed on Thursday that riders will not be permitted to strike their mounts in consecutive strides before the 100m mark.
“I don’t like it. I don’t agree with it,” said eight-time champion jockey Purton. “I think everywhere around the world that they’ve brought a whip rule in, turnover has gone down and participation has gone down.”
While the Jockey Club believes the change will address perception issues around equine welfare and act as a step towards harmonisation with other racing jurisdictions, Purton can’t see any merit in it.
