Zac Purton withdrew from a Hong Kong Jockey Club race meeting after testing positive again for Covid, and the withdrawal came with his Jockey King odds at five times or below, according to a report published on 1 December 20221. Under horse betting rules, all bets in Jockey King 1 were refunded in full, and the club then opened a fresh Jockey King 2 pool for betting1. The report said this was the first time such a situation had arisen since the Jockey King pool was introduced1.
The trigger was the odds threshold. The report states that at the time of the withdrawal announcement, Purton's Jockey King odds were five times or below, and that this level is what brought the refund rule into effect1. The report does not give the race meeting's date beyond "last night," the venue, the number of races affected, or the size of the refunded pool.
"潘頓昨晚由於新冠復陽未能上陣，而宣布退出時其騎師王賠率為五倍或以下，根據賽馬博彩條例，所有騎師王1的投注全部退款。之後馬會重新開出騎師王2彩池以供投注"
The Jockey King market is a Hong Kong Jockey Club bet type in which punters back a named jockey to score the most wins across a meeting. Because the pool was voided and re-opened rather than settled, the practical effect was that the original Jockey King 1 wagers were returned and a new market priced from scratch. The report does not say whether any other jockeys were affected, whether the meeting itself went ahead, or how the re-opened pool was priced.
What it means for players
For anyone holding a Jockey King 1 ticket on that meeting, the bet was voided and the stake returned rather than settled as a win or loss1. Anyone wanting a position on the jockey championship for that meeting had to bet into the new Jockey King 2 pool instead1. The report does not state how refunds were paid, how long they took, or whether the same rule applies at other odds levels. Players in Hong Kong can read more on Hong Kong horse racing bet types and on when HKJC multi-leg bets are refunded.
What happens next
No next steps are reported. The report does not say when Purton was expected to return to riding, whether the Jockey King 2 pool was settled normally, or whether the club planned any change to the rule.
Sources1 sources
- 潘頓退出馬會開騎師王2 | 星島日報, std.stheadline.com
