It says a lot about the grind that has been season 2021-22 that jockey Zac Purton is as excited about heading to the airport on Saturday night as he is about this weekend’s season finale.

The 88th and final meeting of the campaign promises plenty, with Purton and Joao Moreira locked at 132 wins apiece and the race for the jockeys’ title set for one of the most exciting finishes in the history of Hong Kong racing.

But for most it is still primarily the finish line to what has been a gruelling season featuring months of suffocating lockdowns, compounding what feels like a lifetime of being stuck in Hong Kong because of the city’s lagging approach to Covid-19.

Throw in the raft of injuries Purton suffered in the horror fall in December’s Hong Kong Sprint, and that have hampered him ever since, and the Australian can’t wait to be sitting on a beach in the Maldives.

“I’m ready to go, I’ve had enough,” Purton said. “My leg is causing me trouble, I’ve been over at physio this morning and I have to go and get a massage soon, so it’s not good. It’s just been ongoing.”

Purton and Moreira have averaged pretty much bang on 1½ winners a meeting through 2021-22 but have slowed in the final stages, with the Australian managing just three winners from the past five meetings.

Moreira has been slightly better, with five winners from the past four meetings including a double on Wednesday night to square the ledger, but he limped through the back half of June during a period that included time on the sidelines with an irregular heartbeat.

Purton holds the slimmest of advantages over Moreira as he’s only ridden one dead-heat winner to the Brazilian’s two this season, meaning if it’s tied after 11 races on Saturday the Australian will land his fifth title.

But while Purton knows going winless at Sha Tin is unlikely to cut it, he doesn’t know where that all important victory – or two – will come from.

“I need winners and I don’t know where they’re going to come from,” he said. “I didn’t think I had much at all [in my book] – you don’t know what is going to turn up at this stage of the season.

“Like I said a few weeks back, I had nothing left. My horses were ordinary and I was going to need some luck and unfortunately I didn’t get any gates and it’s made it even harder. Now we’re in the position we’re in because I just didn’t have that firepower.”

Among Purton’s chances are the Douglas Whyte-trained Turin Redsun, who heads into the Class One Hong Kong Racehorse Owners Assocation Trophy (1,600m) on the back of a string of placings.

“He was unlucky last time of course and he just needs a little bit of luck, but he’s going OK,” the jockey said.

Purton has a pair of bad gates to overcome aboard up-and-coming youngsters Tuchel, who jumps from barrier 11 in the Class Three Sight Winner Handicap (1,600m), and Lucky Sweynesse, who has been lumped with stall 10 for the Class Two Joy And Fun Handicap (1,200m).

The Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained Lucky Sweynesse has four wins from six starts in his debut season, including one over the Sha Tin 1,400m, but sticks to six furlongs after finishing second over the trip at Happy Valley last start.

Title race set for thrilling finale after Moreira draws level with Purton

“I think he’s all right at 1,200m but the gate makes it a bit difficult of course. He’s had a good season and hasn’t been overly raced either, so hopefully he’s still got a little bit there and he looks well placed,” Purton said.

Purton also jumps aboard Turquoise Alpha, Never Too Soon and Global Harmony among his full book of 11 rides, while Moreira only has rides in 10 races at the season finale but looks to have chances aboard Jumbo Fortune, Money Catcher and Chater Pins.