Champion rider Damien Oliver will fly the flag for Australia in tonight's International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley in Hong Kong.
Oliver's rivals will include seven-time Hong Kong premiership winning jockey Douglas Whyte, French pair Christophe Soumillon and Olivier Peslier and Japan's Yasunari Iwata.
Iwata shot to prominence
in Australia when he won last year's Melbourne Cup on Delta Blues and has been enjoying tremendous success in his home country winning last month's Japan Cup on Admire Moon.
Canadian Emma-Jayne Wilson will become the first female to participate in the invitation - only event.
Three of the eight races at Happy Valley have been designated as the championship races and points are awarded on where the riders' mounts finish in each event.
Oliver is drawn to partner Classa Win in the opening leg, Travel Leader in the second race and the consistent Dr Possi in the final leg.
The Melbourne-based jockey won the series in 2003, while three-time Melbourne Cup winning rider Glen Boss was runner-up to Peslier last year.
Oliver has also picked up mounts in two other races on the program aboard Mullaad in the opening event and General Kingy in race four.
The championship is a precursor to the rich international race day at Sha Tin on Sunday when Australian Horse of the Year Miss Andretti will be out to upstage star Hong Kong pair Sacred Kingdom and Absolute Champion in the Sprint (1200m).
* Big race jockey Jim Cassidy took the next step in his comeback from injury by riding in his first barrier trial for almost six months at Rosehill yesterday.
"I've pulled up pretty good and I've been able to come home and do the lawns, so everything is good and I look like resuming just after Christmas," said Cassidy just hours after riding in three trials.
- AAP
