Leparoux to be U.S. rep in International Jockey Challenge

Julien Leparoux has been named to represent the United States in the Cathay Pacific International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley Racecourse in Hong Kong on Dec. 8. The 27-year-old Frenchman, winner of an Eclipse Award as America’s leading jockey in 2009 when he rode 240 winners for earnings of $18,560,565, and as America’s leading apprentice rider in 2006 when he rode 403 winners, also won the Shoemaker Award as the leading rider at last year’s Breeders’ Cup.

Leparoux will be joined in the three-race event that serves as a table-setter for Hong Kong International Race Day at Sha Tin on Dec. 12, by Christophe Lemaire from France and Christophe Soumillon, who rides in France but will represent his native Belgium. Coolmore’s number-one rider Johnny Murtagh will represent Ireland, while Britain will be represented by Ryan Moore, South Africa by Anton Marcus, Australia by Nash Rawiller, Japan by Hiroyuki Uchida and Singapore by Joao Moreira, The locally based Australian Douglas Whyte, the leading rider in Hong Kong in each of the last ten years and the all-time record holder there with 1,235 victories, will represent Hong Kong.