Tony Cruz is Hong Kong racing’s great enigma, and he’s got a record to back up any decision he makes, but his move to get on the front foot and replace Zac Purton aboard California Spangle seems a bold one, whichever way you slice it.

While Cruz and Purton have joined forces rather sparingly since the Australian arrived in Hong Kong in 2007, when it’s come to the crunch in recent years, the legendary trainer has often turned to the city’s top jockey.

It certainly took Cruz a while to warm to Purton, giving him only 27 rides in the seven seasons leading up to his first title, and they’ve combined just 312 times across more than 16 campaigns.

Even when they’ve worked together, big owners like the Kwoks, the Sius and the Liangs have often been the conduit – well over 100 of Purton’s rides for Cruz have had either Beauty or California in their names.

But they’ve had plenty of success all the same – 66 wins at 21.15 per cent to be precise – and have been particularly prolific in Hong Kong’s best races, snaring nine Group Ones together.

Since winning the 2016 Group One Hong Kong Mile for Cruz aboard Beauty Only, Purton has delivered the trainer elite-level success aboard Time Warp twice, Exultant five times and California Spangle once when toppling Golden Sixty with an inch-perfect ride.

William Buick and Tommy Berry aboard Pakistan Star and Joao Moreira with Time Warp are the only other jockeys to win Group One races for Cruz in that time, and on two of those occasions, Purton was on the Cruz-trained beaten favourite.

It’s been quite simple for a number of years now – if Cruz has a leading hope in a big race, more often than not he backs Purton to get the job done.

That looks very unlikely to be the case in December’s Hong Kong Mile, however, with Cruz replacing Purton with Hugh Bowman for reigning champion California Spangle’s run in next month’s Group Two Sha Tin Trophy (1,600m) because “we want someone who’ll stay with the horse”.

While Purton was staring at a decision between Beauty Eternal and California Spangle, that call has been made for him.

In Bowman, Cruz has a more than suitable replacement, and his willingness to pull the trigger shows the impact the 43-year-old is having in the city.

He’s hot property thanks to nine wins through the first five meetings, and after winning May’s Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) aboard Russian Emperor and snagging the California Spangle mount, he’s getting the big-race rides he’s been craving since arriving for his first permanent Hong Kong stint in November last year.

A lot has been made about Bowman’s chances of toppling Purton in the premiership, but it’s the big races where he could hurt his countryman even more if he continues to secure top-line gallopers.

It’s unlikely to be concerning Purton too much at this stage, however, and Cruz even admitted he might have settled for something of a downgrade: “Bowman is the second best we have.”

Jockeys feeling the squeeze

Field sizes are again a concern at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, with three eight-horse races and one contest with only seven runners, and jockey Antoine Hamelin offered an insight into the pressure jockeys are feeling following his first win of the campaign at Sha Tin on Sunday.

“Like everyone, it’s a little bit tough this season – more than we’re used to – because there are fewer horses and more jockeys, but we keep going on, we keep doing our best, and when you have the horse and the support, it’s fine,” Hamelin said.

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After only 11 rides across the first five meetings of the season, Hamelin has to wait until the final event on the midweek card for his only mount of the night, and no jockey has a full book.

With 22 riders on the roster and the potential for a couple more to roll in for winter stints, there’ll be plenty of jockeys hoping field sizes pick up sooner rather than later.