Zac Purton, Karis Teetan and Derek Leung complete stellar line-up for 2017 LONGINES IJC

Zac Purton, Karis Teetan and Derek Leung will join Joao Moreira as Hong Kong's representatives in the 2017 LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship on Wednesday 6 December, when 12 top class jockeys will clash at Happy Valley to battle for the title.

The list of this year’s eight invited jockeys for the LONGINES IJC was released on 15 November. As Hong Kong’s current Champion Jockey, the 2012 IJC victor Joao Moreira has the first of four berths allocated to riders from Hong Kong’s excellent talent pool. The last three places are filled by two of Hong Kong's current leading jockeys and the leading local jockey (a graduate of the HKJC Apprentice Jockeys’ School and currently claiming no more than a 3lb allowance) as of 22 November.

Purton and Teetan are the second and third-placed riders - behind Moreira - in the Hong Kong premiership standings, with 30 wins and 20 wins apiece as of 22 November, while Leung is the leading local jockey with 14 victories. These three riders have therefore been allocated the three remaining places. In accordance with the prospectus for the LONGINES IJC races, Leung’s normal two-pound weight allowance will not be applicable in the four legs of this event.