Hong Kong: Purton returns to the saddle at Happy Valley

Zac Purton’s return to race riding could end in nightcap success Wednesday at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong.

Purton hasn’t ridden a race since he was involved in an ugly spill Dec. 11 in the Hong Kong Sprint that left him with broken ribs, a fractured wrist, and a broken nose. Cleared to ride last week by Hong Kong Jockey Club medical staff, Purton returns to action on Wednesday’s card. When Purton went out, he was leading rider this Hong Kong season; now, he trails Joao Moreira by nine winners, 58-49.

Purton won the last time he rode Cheerful Days in a race, this past Oct. 17, and he’s picked up the mount again Wednesday in the last of nine races. The lid-closer is one of three Class 3 handicaps for horses rated 80-60, all carded over different distances; race 9 is at 1,650 meters.

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Cheerful Days is top rated at 79 and carries high weight of 133 pounds but can win nonetheless. A 5-year-old gelding trained by Francis Lui, Cheerful Days won three races in a row earlier this season, a Class 4 at Sha Tin and two Happy Valley Class 3s at this 1,650-meter distance. His streak ended in his most recent race, on Dec. 15, but Cheerful Days had excuses. He broke from post 11, a rough draw in a race with nearly no run before the first turn, and his jockey had no choice but to drop to the tail of the field. Hemmed in along the rail until hitting the stretch, Cheerful Days was making mild progress toward the wire when a gap between horses closed and he had to be steadied through the final 50 meters. His draw Wednesday, in post 6, is much better, though Cheerful Days is a horse lacking speed who races at the mercy of pace.

First post for the program is 5:45 a.m. Eastern. Catch all the action at DRFBets.com