Doyle and Marquand join Hong Kong’s international cast

Molly Hunter
November 18, 2020 10:57 am

Rising stars to take part in jockeys’ championship at Happy Valley.

Hollie Doyle and Tom Marquand are among the list of 12 jockeys set to contest the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship at Hong Kong’s Happy Valley next month.

Doyle will become only the third female jockey to compete in the event, on December 9, capping a trail-blazing 2020 which has already seen her claim her first Royal Ascot victory and beat her own record of 116 winning rides in a calendar year.

The 24-year-old also enjoyed a maiden success in a Group One race this season, riding Glen Shiel to a narrow-margin triumph in the British Champions Sprint at Ascot.

She will be joined by her partner Marquand, who landed his first Group One success this year too when Addeybb took the Ranvet Stakes in Australia.

Marquand followed up in Britain on Galileo Chrome in the Pertemps St Leger at Doncaster in September.

Addeybb and Marquand also won the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Australia – and shone again at the top level on British Champions Day last month, in the Qipco Champion Stakes, before Njord prevailed in the Balmoral Handicap to give the jockey a famous double on the day.

Ryan Moore is another British name set to take part in an event he has already won three times.

The points-based competition, which invites six riders from Hong Kong and six from the rest of the world, offers a total of GBP 585,000 in prize money – with a further GBP 78,000 bonus to be shared between the leading jockeys.

Making up the rest of the overseas team are French duo Pierre-Charles Boudot, on track for this third national jockeys’ title, and Derby winner Mickael Barzalona – with William Buick also returning for the first time since 2018 after narrowly missing out on the leading rider title in Britain this year.

The home line-up includes Zac Purton, Joao Moreira, Karis Teetan and Vincent Ho – leaving two final slots to be filled by the next two riders in the Hong Kong jockeys’ championship, as of November 25.