As a dozen of the world's best horsemen were presented to the media yesterday ahead of tonight's Longines International Jockeys' Championship at Happy Valley, American rider Victor Espinoza still managed to hog the spotlight in which he has basked all year long.

The savvy 43-year-old, who has wowed the racing world and taken the sport into mainstream discussion in the US with his exploits on Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, was at his brilliant, marketable best - hauling along a selfie stick to get snaps with Jockey Club chief Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges and American fans before taking in the sights of Happy Valley.

And within minutes - in the midst of interviews, pictures and autograph signings - his selfies were circulating among his 22,000 Twitter followers and his many Snapchat and Facebook friends.

It is a worldwide circus, Espinoza is the ringmaster, and the crowd lapped up every minute.

"I am here to perform for the fans," he said. "Of course, it is for me, too, but it is for my followers and my fans. They follow me on Twitter or other places, they want to see me. But it's also for those betting, they are betting on me because they have confidence in me. So I like to put on a show for them, too."

WATCH: Victor Espinoza talks about his chances in the International Jockeys' Championship

Espinoza returns to Hong Kong for tonight's IJC, 12 years after his last visit. That night, he won the final leg, but finished agonisingly short of winning the series overall, Australian rider Damien Oliver snatching victory under the old points system thanks to the right result in a fifth-place photo finish.

Not that the American remembers too much about the experience, though.

"Wow, the buildings! It looks a lot more crowded than I remember. I think Mike was right," Espinoza said, referring to comments from another American rider Mike Smith, likening Happy Valley to having a race track in the middle of Central Park in New York. "I'm happy to be back, it's a great place and, obviously, it's nice to get some pictures of the place this time. Now I can really enjoy being here and, hopefully, enjoy every ride."

Espinoza was posted as a 16-1 chance of winning the IJC last night by Jockey Club oddsmakers, his book solid but unspectacular: Winning Mascot, Mister Marc, Gallant Rock and Foodie all in with some hope, but at double figures last night.

But the man who is now synonymous with American Pharoah says he won't do any preparation for his rides, instead relying on those who know their horses best - the trainers and owners.

"I never look at who I am riding the night before because my mind starts going too crazy," he said. "For that reason, I wait until the last minute - I've always been like that and I'll never change it.

"I look at each race five to 10 minutes before I walk out of the jockey's room, so it is fresh in my mind as to how to ride the race."

WATCH: Victor Espinoza chats about the success of American Pharoah

And while he admits he has respect for his rivals tonight, he says an IJC victory says little about a jockey's ability and more about the horses that are randomly allocated.

"It all depends on the horse underneath you," he said. "To be honest, when I ride anywhere, I don't really look at who I am riding against - and here, it could be any jockey.

"To me, the other riders are just regular riders, like everybody else. Being in a competition like this is more about being on the right horse, and it all depends about how the race sets up."