Aussie jockey hits back at torrent of abuse for $145k Everest shocker
Updated . First published at
Superstar Aussie jockey Zac Purton has hit back at critics and defended his ride on Ka Ying Rising after the short-priced favourite was beaten in Saturday’s The Everest.
The Hong Kong wonder started as short as $1.35 with bookmarkers, but got stuck wide and well back throughout the trip at Randwick.
Chad Schofield riding Tempted (left) beats Zac Purton on Ka Ying Rising in The Everest. Getty Images
Purton hit the go button and tried to chase down Tempted ($7) but ultimately fell just short of the Ciaron Maher mare, finishing second on the horse many people had piled money on to win.
Social media instantly lit up with torrents of abuse and criticism aimed at Purton, with punters accusing him of riding negatively and getting too far back on the favourite.
It’s nothing new for dudded punters to take aim at jockeys after a race but given the stature of the $20 million The Everest and the profile of Ka Ying Rising and Purton, the reaction after Saturday’s loss was tenfold.
After flying back to Hong Kong on Sunday and digesting the events, Purton says he couldn’t have done any more to win the race.
“You change the barrier with the winner and it changes the result. I guess you could say that about a lot of races,” Purton said, per The Sydney Morning Herald.
“The moment we drew (barrier) 11, our hand was dealt a bit.
“Nobody would have predicted the leaders would go out as quick as they did... If I rode the ears off my horse to be up there with them, he may have collapsed and fallen in a hole as well.
“I didn’t have a choice other than to come back, pop in, give him a chance with some cover, and let him finish the race off, which he did.”
Purton claimed he wasn’t aware of the abuse being aimed at him by disgruntled punters.
“I haven’t seen any of it,” he said via News Corp.
"They can say what they like, I'm not paying attention to all that."
Zac Purton and Ka Ying Rising got stuck wide and deep. Seven
Purton, who pocketed a minimum $145,000 for finishing second, was also criticised for his pre-race comments on Ka Ying Rising’s chances of winning the race.
The horse (24: 22-2-0) had only ever run on a Good track, and there was concern throughout the week with the rain around Sydney.
Randwick ended up racing on a Soft 7 on Saturday, but Purton was seemingly worried about the wide barrier and the state of the track before he had even mounted Ka Ying Rising.
“It’s reasonably good enough for us, hopefully,” Purton said to Seven before the race.
“It’s going to take that brilliance away from him, but hopefully we can overcome that. If we’re in Hong Kong on a track that we know and love, it’s a different scenario. But here at Randwick it’s something else to deal with.”
Seven’s presenter Emma Freedman joked Purton is “always a bit glass half empty with this guy” despite Ka Ying Rising being rated the world’s best horse.
Despite the loss, TAB immediately opened its market for the 2027 Everest and installed Ka Ying Rising as the early $1.90 favourite.
