The wheel has turned full circle for Zac Purton, the jockey hoping to resurrect the career of top short-course sprinter Amber Sky in the new season’s first Group race on October 1, the National Day Cup.

I must confess, at that time I thought he was a fast two-year-old who would win races, but I wouldn’t have guessed he’d achieve the heights he has as he matured
Zac Purton

The 2014 Al Quoz Sprint winner in Dubai, Amber Sky resumed with a fourth in the National Day Cup last year behind Bundle Of Joy, Peniaphobia and Super Jockey, conceding big parcels of weight, but his campaign went off the rails after an injury in the Jockey Club Sprint and the Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained gelding was restricted to only four runs for the season.

“It’s funny how things work out,” Purton said at trackwork as he prepares for the season opening on Sunday week.

“I was on Amber Sky all three barrier trials before he raced but I got suspended just before his debut and missed out and I haven’t been back on him since.

“That was early 2012, so it’s nice to get back on even if it took a while. I must confess, at that time I thought he was a fast two-year-old who would win races, but I wouldn’t have guessed he’d achieve the heights he has as he matured. I haven’t been on him but Ricky says he’s going really well after having a good long break after Dubai.”

With the Jockey Club scrapping all Group One races over the straight 1,000m, where the gelding has been at his best, Yiu said he was open to all ideas with the programme for Amber Sky, still lightly raced for his age with only 18 starts.

“The horse seems right back to his best and the race in October is the obvious place to start,” Yiu said. “After that, the only thing for certain is I would like him to go to Dubai again in March for the Al Quoz.

“He won in 2014 and ran well again this year for fourth, when I didn’t feel he was 100 per cent. But, with no Group Ones here any more down the straight, he’s going to have to try 1,200m again and I’m not ruling out going overseas to find suitable races.

“Maybe even the straight 1,200m race at Flemington in November – the owner has a family connection to Melbourne so it might be a good option.”

Purton will have plenty of residual fitness coming into the new season, having ridden in Japan for a month during the break and vacation time kept to a minimum.

“My time in Japan went well enough, I had seven winners and a lot of placings,” said the 2013-14 champion jockey, who also used the Japanese sojourn to pick up the Caulfield and Melbourne Cup rides on Fame Game, as he did last year on Caulfield Cup winner Admire Rakti.

The new racing season has its unofficial kick-off with the sold out pre-season carnival this Saturday at Sha Tin, featuring the time-honoured jockeys’ foot race, before the gong bangs on September 6 for the running of the HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup.

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