A record-breaking season for Hong Kong
With the final meeting of the campaign having been run on Sunday, this Hong Kong season was all about records. Lots of them, and tumbling.
From Zac Purton’s much vaunted record-breaking campaign in the saddle, to John Size claiming a record 12th trainers’ title, while in the equine department Deep Field (Northern Meteor) smashed his own record prize-money figure to claim a second sires’ premiership, perennial champion Golden Sixty (Medgalia D’Oro) became the first horse to win three consecutive Horse of the Year titles and Lucky Sweynesse, earned a record haul of eight victories in a single season.
And with it, both on and off the track racing in Hong Kong feels in a pretty good place, its international stocks seemingly at an all-time high.
On it, three horses dominated the season, with that trio of Hong Kong-based runners all occupying a space in the World’s Best Racehorse rankings, released earlier this month. It is the first time this century that Hong Kong has had as many rank as highly.
While Golden Sixty, in winning the Stewards’ Cup, Hong Kong Gold Cup and Champions Mile, proved he is showing no signs of slowing down, Lucky Sweynesse emerged as the world’s highest-rated sprinter, carrying a record weight to claim the Group 3 Sha Tin Vase, adding to his trio of elite-level wins this campaign.
However, amassing the most prize-money this season, with more than HK$44 million (approx. AU$8,262,675), was last term’s Hong Kong Derby winner Romantic Warrior (Acclamation), who, despite being beaten twice by Golden Sixty, won the rich Hong Kong Cup on International day, as well as the QEII Cup in April.
Off the track, the season finale at Sha Tin was a record-breaker itself, with wagering turnover reaching HK$2.065 billion (approx. AU$375 million) the highest in Hong Kong’s history for a single meeting. Prize-money continues to grow to record levels, and is set to increase by a further eight per cent in 2023/2024 to HK$1.3 billion (approx. AU$244 million), representing nearly a 100 per cent increase in the last decade.
Key appointments off the track, including the likes of Greg Carpenter and Danny Rolston from roles in Australia and New Zealand, further offer a sense of continuity and strength in Hong Kong which was perhaps lacking during the tight Covid restrictions and, before that, a wave of political upheaval.
“Hong Kong’s world-class racing is not only built on our state-of-art racing facilities, but more importantly a rich and growing pool of racing talents across all levels from trainers, jockeys, veterinarians to stable assistants and farriers etc,” said the HKJC’s chief executive officer, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“The Hong Kong Jockey Club is committed to attracting world-class talents from overseas and nurturing high-potential home-grown talents. I am delighted to see our racing talents and the horses they train and take care of, deliver remarkable performances this season to local and global fans. They are the future of Hong Kong’s racing.”
Hong Kong’s prize-money is no more visible than in the sires’ premiership, in which this season the fertility challenged former Newgate stallion Deep Field added back-to-back titles.
Last year, the stallion scored an emphatic first triumph, breaking the record prize-money haul for a stallion when earning HK$55,621,470. This year, his progeny has amassed HK$74,882,097 (approx. AU$14.07 million). Ten years ago it was Pins (Snippets) who claimed the crown, his offspring having earned HK$26,170,950.
Deep Field’s stocks grew greater still when his son, Voyable Bubble, landed the prestigious Hong Kong Derby (Listed, 2000m), becoming the stallion’s one and only stakes-winning progeny at beyond 1800 metres.
His absence from the Newgate roster will leave a sizable hole in Hong Kong’s bloodstock recruitment, however one which will not be felt for at least the next two years, as large crops of his younger horses filter through.
The stallion sired 20 winners from 49 runners this season, to also top the leading sires by winners charts for the first time, ahead of Per Incanto, the chart-topping stallion by this metric of the previous two years, who had 15 winners from 34 starters.
The Little Avondale Stud stallion is in doubt of standing this upcoming breeding season due to injury, another absence which will pose a dilemma for Hong Kong buyers at the yearling and two-year-old sales in 2026.
On the evidence of this season in Hong Kong, there could be several candidates to fill that void. All Too Hard (Casino Prince), through the likes of last year’s champion sprinter Wellington, and Toronado (High Chaparral), who boasts ten scorers this season, including Victor The Winner, continue to make lofty progress. As does a barnmate of Deep Field in Capitalist.
The young Newgate sire has set a phenomenal early record in Hong Kong, siring six winners from ten runners.
Another sire to impress this year is Zoustar, who with ten winners from 21 starters creeps into the top ten in the stallion charts for the first time.
Through his achievements this season, Lucky Sweynesse has put his Novara Park sire Sweynesse well and truly on the global map. But the stallion has proven not to be a one trick pony, with six winners from nine to take to the track in Hong Kong so far.
The Everest, and a true international test of his credentials, may await Lucky Sweynesse in October.
Japan
Last week’s JRHA Select Sale again demonstrated the strength and power of the Japanese bloodstock industry.
A record turnover of ¥28,145,000,000 (approx. AU$297 million) for both the yearlings and foals session, resulting in an average of ¥61.875 million (approx. AU$653,000) for the yearlings and ¥67.488 million (approx. AU$712,000) for the foals, was underpinned by several big-money buys.
Japan’s JRHA Select sale has grown by more than a third in the last five years, reaping the benefit of significant international purchases to bring the best bloodstock into Japan.
They include the sale’s opening lot, a Kizuna colt out of Australian Group 1 winner Youngstar, who fetched ¥210,000,000 (approx. AU$2.21million), and is herself a sister to fellow Group 1 scorer Funstar, whose colt by Kizuna made ¥160,000,000 (approx. AU$1.68million). She Will Reign’s filly by Saturnalia made ¥300,000,000 (approx. AU$3.16million) during the foal sale, while it was colts by Kitasan Black who topped each session. The first for ¥310,000,000 (approx. AU$3.27million), and the second, the weanling foal, fetched ¥380,000,000,000 (approx. AU$4.01million).
Malaysia
Proof Perfect to be handed Listed chance after back-to-back wins
Proof Perfect (Star Witness) made it a perfect two-from-two in Malaysia after an impressive win in the Metro A set-weight event over 1100 metres at Sungei Besi on Saturday.
Ridden once again by Mohamad Firdaus, the Star Witness (Starcraft) gelding settled nicely behind the pace set by the two favourites Fa Fa Star (The Factor) and Gamestonks (Showcasing)
Proof Perfect surged ahead with ease at the 100-metre mark and went on to win by one and a quarter lengths. Vulcan (Per Incanto) flashed home to beat Gamestonks for second.
“I was surprised at how well he performed today,” Firdaus said. “He ran better than on the number two track the last time.”
“He jumped well and I just followed the pace which was rather fast. He responded well when I asked him for an effort in the straight.”
The gelding’s trainer Stephen Cook said: “I am extremely pleased with the win. I was worried about Gamestonks.
“The owners have decided to give him a chance at [domestic] Group 1 glory in the Sprint Trophy [on July 30].”