Ryan Moore and James McDonald headline the cast of overseas stars poised to light up Happy Valley at the Longines International Jockeys’ Championship (IJC) on December 6, however the injured Hugh Bowman has been ruled out of the prestigious competition.

While Moore and McDonald are old hands when it comes to the IJC, Australian-based British jockey Rachel King and Kazakh rider Bauyrzhan Murzabayev will take part in the contest for the first time.

Although she was born in Britain, King – who took out the recent Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes (1,200m) aboard Ozzmosis at Flemington – will represent Australia, while Murzabayev will fly the flag for Germany after winning four consecutive jockeys’ championships in the country from 2019 to 2022.

While one of last year’s joint winners, Silvestre de Sousa, has since had his Hong Kong licence disqualified for betting offences, the other reigning IJC champion, Tom Marquand, will be back to defend his crown.

Marquand is again joined by his wife, Hollie Doyle, in representing Britain, while Japan’s Yuga Kawada and Frenchman Mickael Barzalona round out the eight-strong overseas contingent.

“The Longines International Jockeys’ Championship is one of the most exciting and prestigious events in the international racing calendar, and this year is no exception. We have a spectacular line-up, and in particular, I am excited to welcome Bauyrzhan Murzabayev and Rachel King to participate in the event for the first time,” Andrew Harding, the Jockey Club’s executive director of racing, said.

Zac Purton, who is five wins clear in this season’s premiership with 26 victories, will take his place as Hong Kong’s reigning champion jockey, although his nearest rival, Hugh Bowman, will not be fit in time to line up in the IJC or the Longines Hong Kong International Races later that week.

The Jockey Club confirmed on Monday evening that Bowman has fractured his right scapula and three vertebrae after being dislodged from Tuchel in Saturday’s horror fall at Sha Tin.

Jockey Club licensing committee secretary Terry Bailey said in a statement that Bowman is “expected to be unfit to resume riding for a period of six to eight weeks”, meaning it’s very unlikely the 43-year-old will be seen on the racetrack before Christmas.

Bowman’s injury means Matthew Chadwick will jump aboard California Spangle for this weekend’s Group Two Jockey Club Mile, and Chadwick is also in the hunt to grab one of the local spots on offer for the IJC.

With Angus Chung Yik-lai (16 winners) ineligible because he is an apprentice, Chadwick (seven) and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu (eight) are likely to fight it out for the spot given to the leading home-grown jockey when the IJC field is finalised after the Happy Valley meeting on November 22.

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The final two positions in the 12-strong field go to the second- and third-highest-ranked riders in the Hong Kong premiership.

In the absence of Bowman, who is ranked second, Karis Teetan (16 wins), Andrea Atzeni (10), Lyle Hewitson (nine) and Luke Ferraris (nine) are leading the charge to fill the remaining slots.

The four-race competition works on a points-based system, with 12 points for a win, six points for a second and four points for a third, with a total prize pool of HK$1 million, including HK$600,000 to the winner.