Young thoroughbreds impress
Twenty-nine of the most heavily scrutinised and approved young thoroughbreds in the world strutted their stuff in glorious sunshine at Sha Tin yesterday, just six days before doing battle for the hearts and chequebooks of Hong Kong racehorse owners next weekend.
Each of the candidates for the latest edition of the Hong Kong International Sale are ready-made racing packages, selected as yearlings at the premier sales around the world and then groomed and educated by outstanding horsemen and women. And those who can perform, and stand up to the most rigorous veterinary examinations, eventually make it to Hong Kong to graduate to sale day.
The rewards can be dizzying. For example, three-time champion trainer Ivan Allan selected Scintillation at this sale in 2002, and the gelding went on to become a Group One winner of the Mercedes-Benz Classic Mile as well as banking $12.8 million for owner Hui Sai Fun.
Scintillation, along with another high-profile sale graduate The Duke (nine wins and $13.4 million), are preparing for a hometown defence of Sunday's $14 million Hong Kong Mile and are running advertisements of what is possible. Yesterday, 300-plus existing and potential owners, together with trainers, jockeys, bloodstock agents and members of the media, were on hand to witness this year's sale horses breeze up over 400 metres on the main turf track. It was hard not to be impressed with the general quality of the offering.
Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the Jockey Club's executive director of racing, said he was delighted with the breeze-up performances and declared himself 'more than happy with this year's crop. We have an extremely even bunch of horses with more depth this time around. And I am quite satisfied with how they breezed this morning. We had a change in their preparation. Instead of rushing them, they were steadily brought along and as such, they looked more balanced in their action today.'
According to Mark Player, the club's international racing and sale manager, the two-year-old brother to Derby-bound Hong Kong star Ample Gains will create attention. 'He's progressed very well since he got here,' Player said. 'He breezed very well this morning and looks a gem of a horse, just like his brother. He should give buyers a good deal of confidence.'
As for the overall sales outlook, Player is hoping for a more even sale, unlike last year's showcase which struggled early but then surpassed expectations largely because of one horse, the top-priced Can Opener, who made $6 million. 'We're hoping to see a better spread in the purchase prices for our horses,' he said.
'More in the $3 to $4 million dollar range. But the important thing to remember is that, year after year, we do see a lot of winners coming out of this sale.'
The Jockey Club yesterday pulled the plug on the potential participation of Hong Kong Mile entrant Majors Cast.
Engelbrecht-Bresges said he ruled out Majors Cast when trainer Jeremy Noseda sought one more day's grace to decide on the horse, who had been kept at home in England after he pulled up with some lameness after his final preparatory gallop on Friday.
'We do not want horses in our international races who are just making up the numbers, have some unsoundness and basically should not be there,' Engelbrecht-Bresges. 'Majors Case has had his problem for several days now and if it was still not good enough to travel, it is better for our betting customers that we make the decision we did.'
The fate of Silent Witness's tilt at a third Hong Kong Sprint rests with a gallop under Felix Coetzee at Sha Tin this morning.
