It’s been a big week of firsts for Zac Purton – a maiden The Everest win, an unprecedented 1,900th Hong Kong victory and now, for surely the first time in his career, a spray labelling the eight-time champion “a big sissy”.

Speaking from Kempton late on Wednesday night Hong Kong time, Maureen Haggas – wife of top trainer William – called Purton’s steer on their galloper, Lake Forest, in Saturday’s King Charles III Stakes at Randwick in Sydney “about the worst ride I think I’ve ever seen in my entire life”.

“I was appalled, absolutely appalled,” Haggas said on Racing TV in the United Kingdom.

“We went all that way and I don’t know Zac Purton at all, but it was just dreadful. It was so disappointing because everyone knows he’s a horse that you have to tell him he’s got to do it and he knew that and he was told it.

“He just sat there like a big sissy. I was horrified, I really was. We’ve gone all that way at that huge expense on the owner’s part.”

Fair play to Haggas for having her opinion – something Purton was quick to point out – but things got particularly mind-boggling when she lumped in James McDonald’s seventh-placed effort aboard Sam Hawkens earlier on the card and took a collective swipe at two of the best jockeys of all time.

“It just makes you realise how lucky we are with the jockeys we have in England, Ireland and France when you compare them to the rides we got on Saturday, which were really shockingly awful,” she said.

Purton wondered whether Haggas had “been on the drink” on Australian radio on Thursday morning, giving the comments about as much oxygen as they deserved.

“She’s got her opinion, which she’s entitled to, and I thank her for her advice,” Purton told SEN. “But I haven’t had time to watch the replay yet because I’ve been too busy watching replays of myself winning the A$20 million Everest [two races earlier].

“I followed Ceolwulf, who went on to win the race. I thought he wasn’t too bad a horse to be following and he put seven lengths on me.

“As soon as they quickened, my horse just went up and down in the one spot. He gave me no response at all.

“I’m a little bit bemused at her take on the race, but she’s entitled to that, no problem.

“Where she probably went a little bit too far was dragging James McDonald into it as well. He’s leading the world’s best jockey standings.”

Lake Forest was actually down to run in April’s Group One Champions Mile at Sha Tin before being withdrawn.

Perhaps the galloper can come for December’s Hong Kong International Races and Purton can run Haggas through the fact that of the stable’s nine winless runners in Hong Kong since 2011, two fell short under European jockeys in races won by Purton and three in contests taken out by McDonald.

Bubble v Warrior?

Speaking of McDonald, trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai could be on the lookout for another new rider for stable star Voyage Bubble.

A disappointing 12th under Matthew Poon Ming-fai in Sunday’s Group Two Sha Tin Trophy (1,600m), Voyage Bubble could step up in trip for a clash with Romantic Warrior in next month’s Group Two Jockey Club Cup (2,000m).

With McDonald committed to Romantic Warrior despite winning five Group Ones aboard Voyage Bubble, Yiu confirmed he’s assessing his options should they be required.

“He’s got to ride Romantic Warrior, hasn’t he?” said Yiu of McDonald. “We’ll think about a different jockey.

“The owner is in China so I will speak to him when he comes back and we will decide from there – either a mile or 2,000m.

“I’m 60-70 per cent leaning towards 2,000m. He’s very relaxed these days and he might need a trip.”