Sprint Cup at Sha Tin to throw up Inglis Easter pointers
Two of the leading protagonists in today’s Sprint Cup (Gr 2, 1200m) at Sha Tin have a last-minute opportunity to bolster the pedigrees of their yearling half-brothers, with both set for the virtual Inglis Easter sales ring in the coming days.
Aethero (Sebring) and Hot King Prawn (Denman) are likely to head the market in today’s feature, a race that – these days – is the traditional local lead-up to the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (Gr 1, 1200m) at Hong Kong’s Champions Day.
And while both are already Group 2 winners, it is just another opportunity to remind the buying bench of their tremendous ability with their half-brothers – by So You Think (High Chaparral) and Capitalist (Written Tycoon) respectively – set for sale.
Aethero, out of the Encosta De Lago (Fairy King) mare Pinocchio, was offered by Tyreel Stud at the 2018 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale, with the hammer falling at $575,000 to the bid of George Moore. He has had seven starts, all in the care of Hong Kong’s longest-serving trainer – and George’s father – John Moore.
Pinocchio, a sister to five-time Group 1 winner Racing To Win, has become something of a blue hen very quickly. In the two years since Aethero was purchased as a yearling, not only has she produced him as a Group 2 winner but also his year-older half-brother Classique Legend (Not A Single Doubt), successful in the the Arrowfield 3YO Sprint (Gr 2, 1200m) last year.
“We purchased Pinocchio at the Magic Millions Broodmare Sale in 2014,” Linda Monds, owner and director of Tyreel Stud, told ANZ Bloodstock News. “She was one of the first mares we purchased after we acquired Tyreel Stud. She has become a ‘Blue Hen’, which her page suggests she had every chance to be. She is from an outstanding, well-related family.”
Monds has overseen all of Pinocchio’s foals: Puppet Master (Foxwedge), Classique Legend, Aethero and now the So You Think yearling colt.
“Both Aethero and Classique Legend were always tough, solid but kind individuals,” she said. “As a yearling Classique Legend was strong, solid and compact; Aethero stood over a lot of ground and was also strong and muscular, but big.
“This yearling is right in the middle of the two in size at the same age. He possesses the same chilled-out demeanour, nothing seems to bother him whatsoever. All three have the same outstanding walk and have loads of personality.
“I would describe the So You Think colt as faultless. I have had the benefit of watching Puppet Master, Classique Legend, Aethero and now the So You Think colt grow from birth to sales ring and I am impressed with the way all have similar traits – the mare definitely puts her stamp on them.
“Lot 134 has an outstanding walk, he has a deep girth, strong gaskin, strong forearm, plenty of bone and a hind engine on him that would turn heads. He has a very kind nature, lovely head and is the whole package.”
Moore turned 70 last month and, under Hong Kong Jockey Club rules, will be forced to relinquish his licence at the end of the season. He freely admits that he has his eyes on the So You Think colt with hopes that he may be able to prepare him from an Australian base.
“George has been up to the stud farm and filmed him, had a very good look at him,” John Moore said from Hong Kong. “I’ve given that footage to some of our owners for their viewing, asking them whether they’d like to bid on the phone or online. He’s definitely a horse we will be bidding on and hopefully we are able to secure him.
“We’ve seen already how much of a running family it is, it’s become a great pedigree and we know what Aethero has done. Hopefully, things pan out the way we want. I’d definitely hope to be able to train him myself. If we could acquire him, I’d be syndicating him very, very quickly.”
The Moores may face stiff competition though, with Monds believing that Lot 134’s billing as one of the star yearlings of the sale is justified.
“He has been very popular, everyone that has inspected him has had to touch him,” Monds said. “He is the only horse in our draft that feels the need to check every potential buyer out, he looks them in the eye and seems to run his eye up and down.
“We only get to see our yearlings on the farm, I know the catalogue is full of outstanding yearlings but I would like to think that he will be one of the highlights of the sale, mostly because I believe he deserves to be.
“He is such a special horse with a big personality, a big walk and a huge future ahead of him. He will be a future star on the track just like Classique Legend and Aethero are.”
Today, Aethero will be aiming to eclipse the greatest equine legend that Hong Kong has produced. Victory today, or next month in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, could send Aethero’s domestic rating beyond 121. That figure was recorded by Silent Witness (El Moxie) during his three-year-old career and remains the highest Hong Kong rating this century for a horse of that age.
“Silent Witness has a statue in front of the grandstand, we all know what a great horse he was, so for Aethero to be rated only two pounds behind his three-year-old rating, that’s already impressive,” Moore told the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“Aethero worked on the all-weather on Thursday and I’m very pleased with what he did. Romain (Clavreul, work rider) got off him and said he couldn’t be happier with him. He’s ready for his return and we’re expecting a big run from him this weekend.”
As for Tyreel Stud, their grand final comes later in the week with the first virtual Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale. And Monds couldn’t be prouder of her small but select draft.
“The whole draft are stand-outs,” she said. “We made a conscious effort last year during sale selections that we would only take ‘the very, very best’ to Inglis Easter.
“Each yearling stands out for a different reason. They are all outstanding physical types, well-related and we were feeling quite excited to be able to show this draft off to the industry. We still have, but in a different way.
“Whoever purchases our yearlings should have confidence that they are the ‘best of the best’. All I wish for now is that they go to good homes and be cared for in the same way they have been at Tyreel Stud.”
The Prawn, the Blues Brothers and De Chorus
Hot King Prawn, who was purchased for $90,000 from the 2016 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale before bloodstock agent David Price brokered his sale to Hong Kong, is one of the most popular horses trained out of Sha Tin. He attracts plenty of attention for his strange name, his eye-catching grey-blue hue, his blistering speed and his unusual precocity, at least as far as the Hong Kong circuit goes.
From day one, said Torryburn’s stud manager Melissa Copelin, there was something special about the Denman (Lonhro) colt that would develop into Hot King Prawn.
“Hot King Prawn was a smashing yearling with that beautiful blue colouring,” Copelin recalled. “He was a very strong and forward colt with great bone.
“My biggest memory of him was that he was born around the same time as another blue colt, by Sebring from our other Unbridled’s Song mare Miss Brightman. They were known as the Blues Brothers and were always together and getting up to mischief.
“‘The Prawn’ was named Join In down here in Australia and I remember watching his impressive trials before he went to Hong Kong.”
Like Hot King Prawn, his Capitalist half-brother has that same sheen to his coat, but Copelin said there are other similarities too.
“The first thing that strikes you is his blue iridescent colour that is almost pearl like, then as he moves he has a fluid action that is driven by his powerful hip. He is a very balanced colt,” Copelin said.
“Apart from the blue factor this colt and Hot King Prawn are very similar; both had strong hips and short backs and they were very forward from day one.”
Their dam De Chorus (Unbridled’s Song) has produced 11 living foals, with this being the 10th. As a grey mare, she has passed that trait onto a number of her foals, including Hot King Prawn and her Capitalist yearling. However, her youngest foal – a full-brother to Hot King Prawn – is brown.
In addition to Hot King Prawn, De Chorus has produced dual Group 3 winner Siren’s Fury (Myboycharlie), as well as prolific winners Storm Siren (Excites), The Soloist (Smart Missile) and Virtuoso (General Nediym), becoming one of Torryburn Stud’s most prominent broodmares. She was purchased from the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2002 for $60,000.
“Unbridled’s Song was earmarked by the Cornish family as a top sire, which he proved to be and now he’s also a fantastic broodmare sire,” Copelin said. “De Chorus raced in the famous Torryburn heart silks and was trained by John O’Shea.
“The mare was handy enough on the track with two city wins and some good placings, however her worth as a broodmare has forged her way to being one of Torryburn’s prized mares.
“After leaving some stakes winners from lower-end priced sires, it was decided she deserved a young hot sire, so Capitalist was chosen as physically he is perfect for the mare but also gives the double cross of Vain which we believe the speed comes from.”
Torryburn’s 12-lot Easter draft includes a Snitzel half-brother to South Australian Derby (Gr 1, 2500m) winner Volatile Mix (Pentire) and a Medaglia d’Oro colt out of a half-sister to top broodmare Essaouira (Exceed And Excel).
“We’re very happy, it’s a strong draft of 12, nine colts and three fillies,” Copelin said. “Nine are by proven sires and the other three are by exciting first season sires from well-credentialled mares. We are sure to have a yearling for every spectrum of the buying bench and to date the feedback has been fantastic.”
As for Hot King Prawn, trainer John Size believes that now – as a five-year-old – is the time that he can be seen at his best.
“He’s in good shape and he’s finally showing his maturity and his development – he’s at the right age for these good sprint races and he’s had no interruptions since he started at the beginning of the season. He’s very strong,” Size told the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Edward Sadler, with jockey Joao Moreira adding: “He’s more professional now, he’s extremely mature and he’s not a horse that you can expect will do things wrong – he’s definitely one of the best sprinters in town.”
The Sprint Cup will jump at 4:10pm local time (6:10pm AEST) with the other Sha Tin feature, the Chairman’s Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m), set down for 1:45pm local time (3:45pm AEST).