JRA jockeys Keita Tosaki and Mirco Demuro finished in a tie for third in the LONGINES International Jockeys’ Championship at Happy Valley (Hong Kong) on Wednesday, with each notching a win in the four-race series. Australia’s Hugh Bowman won the championship which saw 11 world-class jockeys battle for a first-place prize of HKD500,000 and the silver whip.
Bowman hung on to take the title after winning the first race and finishing 12th, 2nd and 8th, respectively, in the following three races for a total of 18 points. Ryan Moore came in second with a total tally of 14 points, with a win of his own in the second race followed by a dead heat for third place and finished a nose behind Douglas Whyte’s ride for fourth place in the final race. A win was worth 12 points, with the runner-up getting 6 points and third place earning 4 points (dead heat for third place worth 2 points). Moore earned HKD200,000 for his runner-up finish.
Tosaki and Demuro each showed brilliant rides in their respective wins, with Demuro stretching late to catch Bowman at the line in the third race aboard third favorite Mutual Joy, and Tosaki surprising the Happy Valley crowd by escorting Big Bang Bong – a 29-1 longshot – to a 3/4 lengths victory. Tosaki and Demuro each received HKD50,000.
"I wasn't able to get good results in the first half, but I'm relieved to have been able to win in the last," Tosaki said. "This is my second consecutive year finishing third. I will continue to ride my best in Japan so that I can come back again and get a shot at winning this event next year."
"I had fun. It's been a while since I last rode at Happy Valley, but the corners are really tight here," Demuro said. "I'm happy to have finished third with Keita (Tosaki)."
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