NORMCORE (Zac Purton) wins the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin.
Hong Kong champion Zac Purton stepped up to the plate, and duly became the most successful rider ever at the HKIR with his ninth success at the meeting – one more than Gerald Mosse.
Japanese-trained horses have a formidable record in Hong Kong, where no other overseas nation has produced so many winners.
After victories in three of the four HKIR races in 2019, they were at it again in 2020 with a double courtesy of Danon Smash (Sprint) and Normcore, who claimed the HK$28m (£2.73m) feature by three-quarters of a length from compatriot Win Bright, the 2019 winner, in a Japanese one-two.
NORMCORE is a five-year-old daughter of King George winner Harbinger trained by Kiyoshi Hagiwara. She is the first filly or mare to win the HK Cup since Snow Fairy in 2010.