The Longines Hong Kong International is on its way, and it has created a buzz around one of the strongest contenders of the race, Zac Purton, who, to participate in the race, has gone through a weight loss journey.

Yes, you heard that, right! He dropped his weight to a featherweight division, 117 lbs, to be exact so that he could participate in the competition. He lost just over 3 to 6 lbs of body fat, and now, he’s good to go!

Well, we all know he has lost weight, but how did he do that? Did he intake any supplements, or was it all-natural? Let’s find out, but before that, let’s talk a bit about the upcoming race.

Eyes on Ninth Victory on Hong Kong International

A win at the Longines Hong Kong International will see Zac Purton at the top of the table as the most successful rider in the history of the competition.

For the race, he will be teaming up with Glorious Forever, Beauty Generation, Exultant, and Aethero. Three of them are the winners of the last year’s competition; Beauty in Mile, Exultant in Hong Kong Vase, and Glorious in Hong Kong Cup.

Zac needs to win the race to make history as the most successful rider of the competition. For such, he certainly needs some motivation, and for that, he says,

I always know what the records are and what needs to be done, it drives and motivates me.

According to Zac, the record books keep him going. He also claimed that he “concentrates on riding winners” and believes that it takes care of things itself.

Glorious Forever

While talking about his racer, last year’s Hong Kong Cup winner Glorious Forever, Zac stated that he was disappointing last time. He believes that Glorious is the horse that is in top form one day, and in the other, he’s just not so good.

Here’s the story of Ethan Suplee who lost over 300 lbs in several years.

Purton presumes that in a small field, Glorious will get a nice run, and if he gets a chance, he will undoubtedly be in the right spot. They will have a race in the 2000 meters track where the prize’s worth $3.6 million.

Exultant

According to Purton, Exultant is a galloper who’s going to give his best at all times. He is confident that his partner will “fly the flag for Hong Kong” and do him proud again.

The duo will have a race at 2400 meters. The prize is worth $2.6 million for this race.

Beauty Generation

John Moore-trained Beauty Generation is incomparably the biggest horse in Hong Kong so, Zac is hopeful that the “spark’s going to be there” for him.

Though the horse saw defeat a couple of times in the last runs, Purton believes if he can find the spark, it’s a win for him. Beauty and Purton team up for 1600 meters race no. 7 worth $3.2 million.

Aethero

The horse for whom, Zac Purton had to lose weight! Moore-trained Aethero is a young horse at the Sha Tin stable so, for him, this kind of race is a competition with the big guns of the industry.

Purton is very confident in Aethero and states him as the strongest sprinter he had ever seen in a while. The Hong Kong Champion is just waiting to get out there and test Aethero with the big horses. They will have a 1200 meters race worth $2.6 million.

Zac Purton’s Weight Loss Secrets and Struggles

Zac was not so sure about his weight loss, and he was stuck at the 119 pounds even till last weekend, but now, he’s all good to go! He is 117 lbs, the required weight to race with Aethero.

I’m bang on, right on target where I want to be with my weight, and I’ve just got to maintain it now.

Purton states that he needs to hold it all together for a day, and he’ll be fine. He believes the weight loss will be worth it.

Around the start of December 2019, Zac Purton returned to the tracks after a much-needed break. He was on vacation in Phuket, but he had to incorporate diet plans and workout regimen into his daily life, even on the break.

I have been eating entree or starter-size meals. They have been very small, and I have been very hungry. I don’t remember the last time I was this hungry for this long.

But, he revealed that he was feeling fine and had more energy though he had been hungry. He also stated that he had trained every day and watched the scales pretty closely.

On December 2, 2019, Purton revealed that he was on target and had no problems with the weight. He was confident to make it to 117 lbs, and he surely did it. Hasn’t this become a win-win for Purton as he lost weight and also is much healthier now.

Purton’s weight loss is mostly because of his plant-based diet because he couldn’t munch on meat due to his kidney stones. He accepts that he couldn’t have gone through all this a few years back because of his kidney stones, but now, he has everything under his control.

Purton Questioned His Weight Allocation

Though Purton has reached the weight allocated for him to partake in the race with Aethero, he had questioned the Jockey Club about the allocation. This weight issue disabled Zac from riding the in-form, High Rev in the 1200 meters race.

I’m not sure why the club didn’t put me down at a lower weight, they knew I could ride lighter, so it’s disappointing from that aspect.

Purton also showed disappointment by stating that he was never asked if he could ride lighter. He was also disheartened by the fact that he couldn’t ride with two pounds over even though in the season, they were allowed to.

While disapproving of the jockey selection rules, he also stated that it’s better to use pick pong balls out a barrel in the future.

All in all, although he had criticized the Jockey Club for the draw, he lost weight and became a featherweight to race with Aethero. Let’s just see what’s in store for him.

Take a look at Candace Cameron Bure‘s weight loss journey where she lost 22 lbs after following an eight-point rule.

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