Newcomer Zhongli Thoroughbreds well-armed for major shot at Victoria Derby
Dundeel colt to give Chinese breeding and racing operation first Group 1 runner
Chinese-owned Australian racing and breeding start-up Zhongli Thoroughbreds will reach an important milestone this week when promising three-year-old Hit The Shot (Dundeel) contests Saturday’s Victoria Derby (2500m), the operation’s first runner at Group 1 level.
The Gu Tao-owned Zhongli Thoroughbreds, which is based in the NSW Southern Highlands, was formed earlier in 2020 after the Chinese businessman expanded his racing interests in the past two years beyond his homeland.
The Matt Cumani-trained Hit The Shot, a $170,000 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale purchase from the Arrowfield Stud draft in 2019, wears Zhongli Thoroughbreds’ yellow and emerald green armband colours.
The colt’s closing third in the Caulfield Classic (Gr 3, 2000m) behind likely Derby rivals Albarado (Savabeel) and Let’s Karaka Deel (Dundeel) at his first start in stakes company came as no surprise to Quinton Cassidy, who shares in the ownership of Hit The Shot alongside his Zhongli Thoroughbreds founder and boss Gu Tao.
“He’s been really well prepared by Matt and he’s always had an opinion of him. Every time he’s stepped him out he has shown us signs that he could be the real deal,” Cassidy told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“Unfortunately, in a couple of early races, he had a bit of bad luck but he still ran very creditibly, so going into the Derby with a live shot is quite exciting for the company.”
Cassidy believes the slow tempo of the Caulfield Classic counted against Hit The Shot, who won his first start on the synthetic track at Ballarat on August 11 before two encouraging efforts at metropolitan level.
“He got himself in a good position (at Caulfield) but they slackened off the tempo a little, which didn’t suit him because he’s a momentum horse,” he said.
“When they sprinted, it left him flat-footed but once he gets going there’s no stopping him.
“So, getting him to Flemington on a big roomy track over 2500 metres looks ideal for him.”
Expatriate New Zealander Cassidy has been in Australia since January and has played a pivotal role in helping Mr Gu set up a permanent base in NSW and assist in managing a team of horses purchased from the yearling sales to be broken-in and re-offered at the respective Inglis, Magic Millions and New Zealand Bloodstock two-year-old sales.
He admits the exercise has been a “learning curve” but is excited by the long-term prospects for Zhongli Thoroughbreds which has been set up in an area which is becoming increasingly desirable for breeders, given its close proximity to Sydney.
The region is also home to Lime Country Thoroughbreds, Milburn Creek and Steve Grant’s Silverdale farm.
“It was a property Mr Gu fell in love with when we came and looked at the place and it’s working out well. We are also leasing another farm nearby while we do some alterations here,” he said.
“The property has broodmares and foals who are on the ground already. We have ten mares on the books and eight foals on the ground, so it’s another avenue for the company.”
Among the mares were five purchased from the Magic Millions Gold Coast National Broodmare Sale headed by $540,000 addition Karavali (Nadeem), a Group 3 winner who has since foaled an August-born colt by Written Tycoon (Iglesia) and the $400,000 stakes-placed Dinnigan (Snitzel) who also had a colt by Pierro (Lonhro) born on September 12.
To assist Zhongli’s expansion into the breeding industry, the well-known Alex Kingston, who had stints at Kia Ora Stud and Ricky Surace’s B2B Bloodstock, and her husband Jose have recently joined the operation at its Southern Highlands property.
Cassidy said: “We’re very lucky that the property came up at the right time, so we were able to get Alex and her husband Jose to join the team. We’re building good foundations for our operation, not just in Australia, but also in China.”
Despite remaining in Australia, Cassidy has overseen his stable of horses at Wuhan remotely and he prepared two winners at the weekend as racing in China ramps back up following an extended hiatus due to Covid-19.
“It’s been an anxious wait for the team over there, not only for us, but everyone over there and the other clubs,” he said.
“It is normally the biggest race on the calendar in China where the international jockeys come over and race to promote the carnival. It’s always been a big meeting, so to win a race for Zhongli was very rewarding for the company.”
Cassidy paid tribute to his Wuhan-based staff who have overseen the day-to-day running of his stable.
“I am very lucky to have a good team over there to help. I communicate with them on a daily basis to make sure the horses are happy and well and that things are done to the highest standard possible,” he said.