For the first time New Zealand is to host the Asian Young Guns Challenge, an international apprentice jockeys’ competition between New Zealand, Japan, South Africa, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Victoria (Australia) and Macau.

The fifth renewal of the event will be held across three races at the Waikato Racing Club’s feature Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate meeting at Te Rapa on Saturday, 17 August 2013.

Chairman New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), Matthew Goodson, said: “We are very pleased to be invited by the Asian Racing Federation to host this prestigious Series.  The Asian Young Guns Challenge was developed to showcases the very best Apprentice Riders from throughout the Asian Racing Federation (ARF) and we appreciate the support of all the major racing jurisdictions in Asia and the ARF.”

“As hosts, New Zealand is permitted to enter two riders. We will be represented by two outstanding young jockeys: 2012-13 New Zealand Champion Apprentice, Rory Hutchings, and the first female Apprentice to compete in a Young Guns Challenge Series - New Plymouth-based Miranda Dravitzki. I encourage everyone to get to Te Rapa on 17 August and support this international event.”

The quality of the riders competing at this year’s international is arguably the strongest to date:

Hong Kong representative Alvin Ng (23) is familiar with the Te Rapa track, having ridden 69 winners in New Zealand when he was with the Lance Noble stable. Ng is the reigning Young Guns Champion, having won last year’s series in Macau. He has ridden 27 winners since returning to Hong Kong.

A surname that will be especially well known to New Zealand is that of Racing Victoria’s nominee Jordan Childs (17), whose father Greg Childs notched a remarkable 71 Group One winning rides in his career. Jordan, who will be joined in New Zealand by his father, has ridden 37 winners in his first season of riding across the Tasman.

Macau representative Charles Perkins (25) is poised to claim his second local apprentice title and has now won some 57 races there, including three Group One events this year. Perkins learned his trade in France, England and the USA before commencing his riding career in Macau in January last year.

Singapore’s representative Harry Kasim (27) is also no stranger to the Waikato, having ridden his first ever winner at Te Rapa. Kasim has ridden 43 winners in Singapore this season and is 23 wins ahead of his nearest rival.  He has already broken the Singapore record for the most number of wins in a season by an apprentice, with five months of their racing year remaining.

Japanese rider Yuji Hishida (20) has ridden 59 career winners since he commenced in March 2012. He won the Best Newcomer Award in the Western Japan province last year.

Malaysian representative W T Chung (24) might have ridden only 15 winners to date, but two weeks ago he was victorious in RM400,000 [NZ$150,000] Group One Sultan Gold Vase sprint on Joe Czarina.

Kim hyun joong (24) will represent Korea, while Julius Mariba (20), who has ridden 50 winners to date, is making the long flight from South Africa to compete here.

The eight international and two New Zealand riders will spend two days in the Waikato and will be the special guests of NZTR at the Thoroughbred Horse of the Year Awards Dinner at the Claudelands Events Centre in Hamilton on the evening of Thursday, 15 August.

Rides in each of the three Asian Young Guns Series races will be balloted. NZTR will nominate other leading New Zealand Apprentices to take any other available mounts. However these Apprentices will not be included in the overall series.

To support the Asian Young Guns Series NZTR:

• has increased the prize money for the two Rating 65 races to $15,000.
• has waived  nomination or acceptance fees
• will pay the riding fees for all starters
• will pay a $300 starter incentive for runners in the three Series races that do not earn any prize money.