A strong line up of jockeys have been announced for the 2024 Longines International Jockeys' Championship (IJC) at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesday, Dec. 4.
The four races are worth a combined HK$7.5-million (£740,000) in prize-money, and there is a total prize fund of HK$1 million in bonus money for the most successful riders split three ways, with the winner set to receive HK$600,000, with HK$250,000 for second and HK$150,000 for third (£60,000, £25,000, and £15,000, respectively).
Vincent Ho, who won this contest in 2023, and seven-time Hong Kong Champion Jockey Zac Purton, a three-time IJC winner (2017, 2020, 2021) will contend against both home-based rivals and eight international rivals. English star jockey Ryan Moore–a two-time winner of this event and a four-time winner of the Longines World's Best Jockey Award (2014, 2016, 2021, 2023)–has signed on, as has the Australian-based New Zealander James McDonald (Longines World's Best Jockey winner of 2022), Norwegian William Buick, who is based in Britain and a two-time champion rider there (2022/2023), as well as female riders Hollie Doyle (placed twice in the IJC already) and Rachel King (third on her IJC debut last year), five-time Irish Flat Champion Jockey Colin Keane, Japan's Yuga Kawada (2019 World All-Star Jockeys' champion), and Frenchman Mickael Barzalona, a champion rider in his native land in 2021. The final two spots on the 12-rider IJC roster will go to the highest-ranked riders in the Hong Kong championship standings at the cut-off date, which follows the race meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Andrew Harding, executive director, racing, HKJC, said, “The Longines International Jockeys' Championship is the most exciting jockey challenge every December. This year's line-up features Ryan Moore, James McDonald and William Buick–who currently fill top three in the Longines World's Best Jockey rankings, and between them this year they have won a string of the world's leading Group 1 contests. They will compete with the world's very best established riders for a thrilling night of great sport.”
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