Normcore denied Win Bright consecutive victories in Sunday’s HK$28m Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m) with a gritty performance.
With Australian Zac Purton picking up the ride after Christophe Soumillon was stood down over a positive COVID-19 test, Normcore came widest of all in the home straight with a sustained finish to overwhelm Win Bright and score by three-quarters of a length with the favourite Magical finishing a short-head away third.
Normcore is the first mare to win at the International meeting since Snow Fairy in 2010 and the win takes Purton to nine international days wins, the best by any jockey.
“I wouldn’t say it was an unexpected result, I knew she had a good chance from a lovely gate (barrier three) we were going to get our chance,” Purton told the HKJC.
“She was a bit keen in the run and I was worried about that but she fought well, she had to dig in and she found, she showed heart.
“Obviously now I’ve won more international races than anybody else so that tops it off.”
A five-year-old daughter of Harbinger, the Kiyoshi Hagiwara-trained Normcore finished fourth in last year’s Hong Kong Mile behind Admire Mars.
She won last year’s Gr1 Victoria Mile and the Gr 2 Sapporo Kinen (2000m) in August this year.