The Hong Kong Jockey Club will go into the International Select Sale $4 million out of pocket before a horse even goes under the hammer. Instead of parading before 1,000 dinner-jacketed members of the Jockey Club and their guests, three horses bought last year at the Houghton Sales at Newmarket and at the Goffs Irish yearling sale will be knocked down next week at the workaday Doncaster Sales in northern England. The trio will realise just a fraction of what they cost and it will make the Jockey Club's task of balancing this year's Sales book immeasurably harder. An Indian Ridge colt out of a Tap On Wood mare, Rappa Tap Tap, and a Cadeaux Genereux chestnut colt out of the Tate Gallery mare, Title Roll, between them fetched $2.98 million at the Houghton Sale. Bought at Goffs was a Fairy King colt out of the Darshaan mare Zarysha for approximately $1 million. International Sales co-ordinator Simon Cooper said: 'It is unfortunate. Every year you would expect to lose one or maybe two but to lose three like this is unique. 'The three had different problems but the reality is that they did not pass our vet check and we had a second opinion. As they stand now, they would be fit to race but problems they have would be greater in the future and we are not prepared to pass those on to our owners. 'It is not a case for Loss Of Use insurance either so all we get back will be what they make at Doncaster,' said Cooper. The Fairy King colt was operated on for a cyst on the stifle that will almost certainly lead to later complications, while the Indian Ridge was diagnosed with sesamoiditis, which again is also expected to worsen. The Cadeaux Genereux suffers from inflammation of the knee, or carpitis, a degenerative condition. Senior Jockey Club vet Keith Watkins said: 'We have very experienced vets overseas who check these horses. In this case they also sent back X-rays and the three horses were not considered suitable for our sale. 'Horses go to sales all over the world and a number have ailments of one kind or the other. Buyers can assess their chances with the horse and bid accordingly. But that is not the case with the Hong Kong Sale where our members can expect to be bidding for horses that have a clean bill of health.'
