Hugh Bowman is free to ride trackwork at Sha Tin on Wednesday morning after it was deemed on Tuesday the star Australian jockey is no longer a Covid-19 close contact.
Bowman was stood down from Wednesday night’s Happy Valley meeting after a family member of his tested positive on their arrival into Hong Kong on Sunday, a result that has now been found to be a false positive.
“The club has been informed that the Department of Health has terminated the isolation order issued to Hugh Bowman’s family member that caused the jockey to be categorised as a close contact,” the Jockey Club said in a statement.
“This outcome is based on multiple subsequent negative PCR test results of Bowman and his family.”
Bowman, who was stripped of a full book of nine midweek rides that will not be reinstated, will begin his three-month Hong Kong stint at Sunday’s Sha Tin feature meeting.
The news of Bowman’s change in circumstances came soon after the Jockey Club announced French jockey Mickael Barzalona will be flown in for this weekend’s fixture as officials sweat on the availability of Zac Purton.
Purton tested positive to Covid-19 on the weekend and is in a race against time to take part in the main lead-up fixture for next month’s Longines Hong Kong International Races.
The Australian jockey must test negative on Sunday morning to be able to retain his Group Two rides aboard California Spangle, Lucky Sweynesse and Beauty Joy.
Barzalona will compete in Hong Kong for the first time since last year’s International Jockeys’ Championship, a competition in which he is expected to take part again next month.
Barzalona is one of three jockeys flying in for the meeting, with James McDonald and Blake Shinn jetting in from Australia.
While Matthew Chadwick (California Spangle and Beauty Joy) and Matthew Poon Ming-fai (Lucky Sweynesse) are on standby to partner Purton’s Group Two mounts, the potential absence of the reigning champion jockey – and injured stars Joao Moreira and Karis Teetan – was enough to send officials scrambling for a big-name replacement.
Meanwhile, the Jockey Club has confirmed Teetan has been cleared to resume riding trackwork from Wednesday as he continues his comeback from a thyroid condition.
Teetan has been sidelined since riding a treble on September 18, and while Jockey Club executive director of racing Andrew Harding said earlier this month “it seems likely it will be several more months before he could resume riding”, the Mauritian could be on track to return to the races sooner than expected.
One jockey who is expected to be in the saddle at Happy Valley on Wednesday night is Matthew Poon Ming-fai after he was passed fit following a mishap at Tuesday morning’s barrier trials.
Poon injured his right ankle when his mount, Stand Up, broke through the barriers before the third trial, and he was forced to miss his ride aboard Flying Ace in the final heat.
While an examination found the injury to be minor, Poon “will again be assessed prior to the race meeting commencing”.
