Had life worked out differently, Rachel King and Hollie Doyle might have been familiar contemporaries in the jockeys’ rooms around Britain.

Instead, the pair - who are among the dozen invitees to Wednesday’s LONGINES International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) - have established their positions among the Group 1 elite but have done so on opposite sides of the planet.

Back in 2014, just as Doyle was beginning her extraordinary journey in the saddle, King made what proved to have been the inspired decision of moving to Australia. 

Tom Wood: 
R1:   3-4-6-2 
R2:   1-7-3-6 
R3:   1-7-2-8 
R4:   11-4-6-12 
R5:   4-5-11-7 
R6:   4-12-7-2 
R7:   4-2-3-11 
R8:   9-10-5-3 
R9:   11-6-10-7 
BEST:    R6 N4 PARTY WARRIOR (WIN) 
VALUE:  R9 N11 NEARLY FINE (EW) 
PLAY:   R9 QQP 6,10,11 

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The 4-year-old gelding Atlantic Ocean’s brief career has been defined by his success at Warwick Farm Racecourse in Sydney, Australia.

Atlantic Ocean won a maiden race there in his fourth start in October 2022, and won for the second time in his career in a seven-furlong handicap at Warwick Farm on Nov. 22.

Atlantic Ocean has started five times at Warwick Farm in his 16-race career, and is back at the venue for a tougher race than his last start in a seven-furlong handicap on Tuesday evening.

It’s been four years since Hong Kong’s Karis Teetan won the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) and he can’t wait to have another crack at winning the title at Wednesday’s (6 December) Happy Valley meeting.

Teetan will again tackle the world’s best jockeys in the lucrative series where riders accumulate points over four races in a bid to win the prestigious title and generous prizemoney.

The riders were allocated horses through an electronic process at today’s (4 December) draw and Teetan was happy with the four horses he drew.

Six-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey Zac Purton believes he has his work cut out in his bid for a fourth success in the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night (6 December) after a challenging start to the season.

Ahead of what shapes as his fourth and final appearance at the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races, Golden Sixty was as enthusiastic as ever at Sha Tin this morning (Monday, 4 December) under former jockey Alex Yu – his regular work rider – while trainer Francis Lui watched on from his traditional vantage point in the trainers’ stand.

Not since 2010 has the UAE national anthem rung out over Sha Tin racecourse following one of the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races (HKIR). Aiming to plug that long gap this year in the LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m) will be West Wind Blows, who has a historical connection on his side.

Since the international races assumed their present form in 1999, the UAE is credited with four wins, by Fantastic Light and Ramonti in the Cup, in 2000 and 2007 respectively, by Firebreak in the 2004 Mile, and by Mastery in the 2010 Vase.

HAPPY VALLEY SELECTIONS
(Wednesday, December 06, 2023) 

The Kentucky-bred Lemon Pop led throughout Sunday’s Grade 1 Champions Cup at Chukyo Racecourse in Japan, becoming the fourth horse to sweep two Grade 1 dirt races at Japan Racing Association tracks in the same year.

Lemon Pop ($8.10 in American pools) broke from the outside in a field of 15 and maintained an advantage of at least a length throughout the $1.58 million race at 1 1/8 miles. The 5-year-old Lemon Pop won by 1 1/4 lengths over 91-1 Wilson Tesoro, who overcame trouble in early stretch.

Not Too Bad and Foxy Baroness, the two runners at the top of the weights, are expected to dominate a one-mile handicap at Narromine Racecourse in Australia on Monday evening.

Both have won in recent months, leaving them well positioned for additional success in a field of seven in the first of seven races at Narromine.

The program begins at 10:10 p.m. Eastern or 7:10 p.m. Pacific. Wagering is available through DRFBets.com.