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The latest in world horse racing news from the journalists at Idol Horse.
Speaker 1 (00:01.772)
Well, Maureen certainly did not hold back. From Big City to the worst ride I've ever seen, Maureen Haggis' extraordinary outburst at Zak Pertton has lit up the racing world. Pertton's laughed it off and Idlehorse editor Michael Cox joins me, Jack Dawling, to unpack the comments, the reaction and what it says about the sport's fine line between passion and respect. For the Idlehorse Newsdesk, it's Thursday, October 23rd.
you
Speaker 1 (00:32.504)
Well Michael, thanks for joining me to discuss this tirade into Zach's ride on Lake Forest in the King Charles III stakes. For those that don't know, Lake Forest were seemingly never involved in the race and finished a disappointing last of 12. But first and foremost, let's have a little listen to Maureen Haggis' comments to Racing TV at Kempton on Wednesday night.
Lake Forest, well, as far as I'm concerned, Lake Forest never had a race. I mean, it was about the worst ride I think I've ever seen in my entire life. I was appalled, absolutely appalled. We went all that way. And I mean, I don't know Zach Purton at all, but I mean, it was just dreadful. It was so disappointing because everyone knows he's a horse. You know, you have to tell him he's got to do it. And he knew that and he was told it. And he just sat there like a big sissy.
Yeah, I mean, I was horrified. I really was. We've gone all that way at that huge expense on the owner's part. And it just makes you realise how lucky we are with the jockeys we have in England, Ireland and France when you compare them to, you know, the rides we got on Saturday, which were shockingly awful.
So, there's an awful lot to unpack there, of course, Michael. But first, what are your reactions to those comments?
I thought they were pretty ignorant, maybe offensive and pretty non-constructive. And that's probably what I've got to say most of all, let's be clear, criticism is part of the sport. It always has been and it always should be, I hope. And riders, trainers, owners, everyone's open to scrutiny, especially here in Hong Kong. But I think there's a line and I think this crossed it. It's when criticism becomes like personal insult and it stops being about performance and
Speaker 2 (02:14.356)
That to me is where these comments sit. And particularly some of the language used, I'd say the best way we could describe it is outdated, the use of the term big city and maybe borderline offensive as well.
Yeah, I think you're spot on there. And as we say, there's a lot to unpack. Appalled, horrified, dreadful, big sissy, and shockingly awful. There's a lot to unpack there. we we're respected member of a huge racing stable in the UK, getting personal with no constructive criticism, as you say, and taking out the equation who it is that Maureen's talking about. This is another member of the racing fraternity. And I suppose the question is, how on earth did we get here?
Well, I would say let's get to the issue for me. It's not even about Zach Pert and maybe I'll get labeled a woke snowflake or something. Anyone that knows me might think otherwise, but I think calling any professional athlete in 2025 a big sissy, it's not only outdated, it's pretty old fashioned view of masculinity. I think it shows a lack of respect for modern racing and our global professionalism. This is what racing has should be celebrating that.
Men and women compete equally. So what does it say to say that that Pertin is a big sissy? It probably opens up to other discussions. There's a level of ignorance there for where Hong Kong racing sits and for whether she'd actually watched Zach Pertin ride much before.
And this is it, I think you hit the nail on the head. We got the lack of respect, but the lack of awareness as well. Of course, the Haggis clan have had some very successful trips down to Australia and plundered a lot of money down there with the likes of Adeeb and Dubai Honor. But perhaps it seems like it does come across like there's a lack of awareness, as you say, to Hong Kong racing and also perhaps even to Australian racing.
Speaker 2 (04:10.072)
think so. They've sent some horses down there and they've won quite well and they've won a lot of money. They're stable. So maybe their expectations were a little bit higher heading into that race. The horse underperformed. So let's stick to the if we look at the race itself. But talking about Hong Kong, I think we saw a bit of it in the lead up to the Everest as well with Kaing Rising. The questions over from Australian racing fans around Kaing Rising. Like, is he good enough when at cursory look at the
the form guide, the horses that he's beaten, the times that he's run would tell you that his best was more than good enough, as he proved on the day. But also that the horse's preparation, the questioning of almost a personal professionalism of trainer David Hayes and the team around car unrising, the rumours that swirled around on the Sunday before the race day that caused the bigger market movements that we talked about last week.
I think it speaks to the fact that there still is this, after all these years in 2025, a real new world, old world view and division in racing from some of the British racing fraternity when they look at Hong Kong, like it's something off in the Far East, some strange land that they don't know much about. The scrutiny that Hong Kong based riders are under is
the highest in the world, the stewards reviews, the medical oversight, the safety protocols, the personal fitness that these guys put themselves through, not to mention the fact that jockeys here in Hong Kong represent themselves and they represent themselves very well. I think that while Zach, what I would want to say is defend Zach a little bit as well. And in all of this argument, people
what will get lost and shouldn't get lost is the fact that Zach Pertton in the last two weeks has been, I'd say, of the most professional, well-spoken, most available jockeys has ever been before a big race. He's gone into a race where the horse started, what, $1.40? He's the odd-zoned favourite. Massive scrutiny around the horse's health and well-being. How many phone calls was he getting a day? He's answering and returning all phone calls. He's
Speaker 2 (06:35.806)
speaking well, promoting the sport as a whole, embracing the moment, not just for himself, but understanding it's bigger than just him. So for somebody to criticize unfairly and personalised for a ride two races later, I think it's disrespectful on that level as well. But for what this guy was able to do in the lead up to that race and what he was able to bring.
to that event and David Hayes as well. Just credit to him there. just on Zach himself, think that was that's part of the what this criticism misses as well. And it doesn't surprise me to that end that Zach has simply laughed off the comments and called them comical. He's not going to enter into a debate over whether they're right. He's saying, well, they're entitled to it. But I guess
What we're here to do with media people is to say that, yeah, you're entitled to constructive criticism, but if you put yourself out there publicly and show yourself to be ignorant in the language that you use, the knowledge that you show about world racing, well, then you're up for some criticism as well.
for sure. And now let's look at the race itself as well. Lake Forest, last year's Golden Eagle winner, hadn't had the best of seasons in the summer. He was settled at the rear by Zach. He was never really involved. He was checked after about 200, 300 meters. And when Zach asked the question, he didn't really find anything. He was well back beforehand, but he simply never picked up. What did you think of the ride and the race more generally?
I was watching him closely in the race because I thought the horse was about to let down with a similar sprint that he produced in the Golden Eagle about 12 months earlier. And he did not. Yeah, I just thought that the horse did not give anything. And to think that he could, that Zach could elicit some sort of sprint out of this horse in that situation.
Speaker 2 (08:40.83)
I don't know. I don't think I've ever seen a jockey get more out of a reluctant horse. know, you've seen him win plenty of class five. Zach Pertton is the best at getting a older horse that's maybe not as willing as it once was to to lift. The record shows that he rides plenty of slow horses that have nowhere near the ability to lay for us. It's not a matter of vigor.
Yeah, I thought just to come back to those comments as well. Look, the horse ran poorly. I just think it didn't have anything to give. Wasn't up to its best. And it sounds like excuse making.
Hmm and fittingly as you mentioned there that person can get a lot out of any kind of horse and of course he brought up his 1900th Hong Kong win on a class five horse, Talent Supremo trained by Danny Shum rated 31. He was at Happy Valley last night. 1900 of course Douglas White's record of 1814. He smashed that in January. He's now looking to 2000. I suppose this is again we come back to lack of awareness, lack of respect. He's an eight time champion jockey. He's won 1900 races.
in Hong Kong. He's on the road to 2000. Will anyone ever get there potentially? But goodness me, not for a few years. So to hear those comments, I think four or five hours after he was presented with a commemorative bottle of champagne was relatively ironic, actually.
Yeah, it was. And I think we should focus on that. And I'm glad I got a chance to talk about that. This brings us back to a chance to talk about the level of professionalism and the triumphs that that's the other little piece of irony there that the criticism among them on the same day that probably his career highlight in the Everest two races earlier than the Lake Forest ride. And yeah, let's let's talk about that. Let's talk about his achievements because
Speaker 2 (10:35.562)
I think that they stack up against anyone. And, you know, one of the great things about Hong Kong racing and, and I hope I don't sound defensive because I've got an Australian accent and I'm probably from a similar background and region of the world to Zach Pertin that I'm sticking up for my Australian mate, because I think one of the great things that
I strive for and we strive for at Idle Horse is to have a global perspective. think one of the tremendous assets of Hong Kong racing is that the melting pot of styles and cultures that can come here, the eye-opening experience that Hong Kong racing can be, that you can see jockeys of such diverse backgrounds and styles competing against each other in a handicap racing environment.
on tight tactical tracks where you get to see that, you know, there's not just one way to do horse racing. There's not just one way to ride a horse. But in the time that I've been here, I've never seen somebody ride a horse more better and more consistently than Zach Kurt.
Yeah, and luckily is as you say maybe the Australian news not exactly coming out as parochial But luckily I'm the Brit here to balance out, but I'm completely with you and I do think you're right There's this there's still this divide between the southern hemisphere and northern hemisphere and the lack of awareness and lack of respect and lack of Knowledge of the achievements that these guys have had of course it's only comes two months after Maureen Haggis Had a go I think is the best way to describe it ask got for the the lack of quality of riders at the Shergar Cup
to that with guys who have a few hundred wins on their resumes. One thing to do it to an eight time champion with nearly two thousands completely another. We look at Zach's response. He said he was a little bemused as he said when we spoke to him. Comical was the word he used. You can't get involved in this. Look, it's racing. He said the same when the rumors about kying rising came about. And Zach, of course, in true Zach style says she's entitled to her opinion. I thank her for her advice.
Speaker 1 (12:46.954)
I had time to watch the replay yet because I've been too busy watching replays of myself winning the 20 million dollar Everest of course, emphasis on the 20 million. Zach, he's seen everything there probably is to see in racing, he doesn't have time for this if he doesn't want to does he Michael?
No, I think that that's very typical, Zach. I think he was on the way to play around a golf when you spoke to him. And I think there's some any jockey with thicker skin when it comes to constructive criticism of his writing and personal insults would certainly roll off his back. So I'm not surprised at the dignity of the response from
It's worth noting as well that Maureen Haggers, of course, at the end of her comments, did allude to the fact that she wasn't happy on the ride from James Macdonald as well. The Longines world's best jockey, which is relatively confusing. course, Sam Hawkins, who went forward in the group three ledger, didn't quite see out the trip, just didn't really like any second of it, to be honest. So that was also another confusing thing, I thought, taking away from the statement.
Well, I guess it speaks to broader what we're talking about, the ignorance of the statement. It's not about like what she goes on to say is that how lucky we are to have the jockeys we have here in England and Ireland, I think is how she put it. Well, this jockey is right everywhere. And I think what's changed in the last what I've seen changing in the last 15 years is that what is
British and Australian and Italian or French standards. It's such a melting pot now. have, you know, Christophe Le Maire writing in Japan. Is he a Japanese jockey or a French jockey? Is Zach Pertton an Australian jockey or a Hong Kong jockey? Here it's Australia versus Italy versus France versus Hong Kong. Two times per week. That's the part that's
Speaker 2 (14:52.578)
sort of baffling to me that somebody could think that in this little corner of the globe anywhere that these jockeys are by far and away the best jockeys in the world. When Ryan Moore rides against Joe Marrera, there's an interchange of ideas. There's an interchange of styles. They're watching each other. And going back to the last 25 years, as
racing has become more global. This style of jockeys has become more merged. I think this is what the comments miss as well.
Exactly. was, um, it seemed like a pretty crash-brain wallop statement. It was about a minute and 10 seconds, but she unloaded there big time. But no, thank you very much, Michael, for unpacking everything with regards to the statements, the outburst and the reaction from Zach himself. If you do want to see more from Zach, from international racing as a whole, do go over to idelhors.com. But that is all for this episode of the Idle Horse News Desk. Make sure you like, share and subscribe to never...
missing episode. Follow us on all the socials and head to the multi-language website to keep up to date with all the latest international racing news. That's it for this time though. It seems like there's been a fair bit of controversy in racing over the past two weeks. I wonder what next week's going to throw up. From me and all the rest of the News Desk team, it's bye for now.