Opinion | Three big questions for the end of the season

There are 19 meetings remaining in the season and some big questions remain unanswered. Nineteen meetings doesn’t sound like long, but it is roughly one quarter of a 83-meeting season and a lot can happen between now and the season finale on July 10.

1. Who is more likely to “slay the giant” and win their respective championship – trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong or jockey Zac Purton?

First of all, the Dream Team of John Size and Douglas Whyte remain firm favourites to maintain the status quo and defend their crowns, although many expected them to be looking a lot more comfortable at this point, particularly Size, who trails Yip by one.

Despite the spirited challenge Purton has thrown out, a surprise answer to this question is Yip, purely for the fact he controls his own destiny. Throw trainers Caspar Fownes and Tony Cruz into the mix, too, as more likely championship winners than Purton. That pair are locked on 50 wins and trail Yip by three.

A few of Size’s much-vaunted first starters have faltered lately and if it stays close towards the end of the season Yip could throw his new-found patience out the window. He might get desperate for what will seem like a one-off shot at glory and start pushing horses for that one extra run, or squeezing an extra half-length with the application of blinkers, when not in the best long-term interests of a horse, as he chases the championship.

The seven-time champion Size will continue to do what he always does and put his horses first and let the results and championships fall as they may. He won’t put personal glory ahead of his horses.