Why top jockeys Joao Moreira and Zac Purton have nothing but respect for each other

Five seasons ago, had you asked then perennial champion Douglas Whyte and his challenger Brett Prebble to critique each other's talent the interview wouldn't have lasted long, the pair famously not getting along at all.

It was the same situation two and three seasons ago when Zac Purton tried, and eventually succeeded, in toppling Whyte, with verbal barbs traded in person and through the media.

So we might have been wary when we asked reigning champion Purton and challenger Joao Moreira to explain what makes the other so good - especially as Purton is resigned to the fact he will relinquish his hard-won crown to the Brazilian superstar, who rode his 100th winner of the season on Wednesday night and leads the Australian by 29 wins coming into today's meeting at Sha Tin.

But the pair have nothing but mutual respect and admiration for each other's talents, and offered great insights into each other's strengths and riding styles on the eve of the Group One Audemars Piguet QE II Cup, where the jockeys ride two of the top chances: Moreira on Designs On Rome and Purton on Military Attack.

Ask Moreira what makes a great jockey, give him a few days to think about it and his first answer may surprise some. Balance? Tactical ability? Reflexes? Nope.

"First of all, a great jockey needs to be polite," Moreira insists, between sips of Chinese tea at the Sha Tin clubhouse. "He needs to know how to socialise with people.