Starspangledbanner gelding tops Hong Kong International Sale
A gelding by Coolmore Stud shuttler Starspangledbanner (Choisir) returned the highest price at the 2024 Hong Kong International Sale (HKIS) at Sha Tin on Friday when Cheung Kwok Wing purchased the gelding for HK$5.4 million (approx. AU$1,051,900).
Out of the winning Zoffany (Dansili) mare Wowcha, the British-bred gelding is a brother to Breege, who has been placed at Group 3 level on two occasions. Wowcha herself is a sister to French Group 1 winner and the ill-fated shuttle stallion The Wow Signal, while she also counts Irish Group 2 scorer Matrika (No Nay Never), Unicorn Lion, who won at Grade 3 level in Japan, and Listed winner Miss Infinity (Rock Of Gibraltar) among her half-siblings.
Lot 20 was originally purchased for 550,000gns by the Hong Kong Jockey Club as a yearling at the Tattersalls October Sale in 2022, when consigned by breeder Chasemore Farm.
Starspangledbanner’s progeny have enjoyed notable success in Hong Kong, headed by Group 1-winning pair California Spangle, Beauty Eternal and the five-time winning Nordic Dragon, a recent graduate of this sale.
So Wing Keung bought the next highest-priced lot, a son of Waikato’s star resident Savabeel (Zabeel), whose progeny in Hong Kong includes the Group 2 winner Rattan. He cost HK$4.2 million (approx. AU$818,200).
Bred in New Zealand, the gelding was acquired by the HKJC for $290,000 from the Waikato Stud draft at Book 1 of the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling Sale at Karaka in 2022. The youngster is out of dual-winning Australian-bred New Approach (Galileo) mare Kona, who is herself a half-sister to the dual elite-level-winning Australian Champion Fiumicino (Zabeel).
Trainer Caspar Fownes also made his presence felt, buying two horses, including a son of Little Avondale’s headline act, Per Incanto (Street Cry), for HK$2.8 million (approx. AU$545,400). His other buy was an Australian-bred gelding by Arrowfield Stud-based sire Dundeel (High Chaparral). Catalogued as Lot 18, the gelding cost HK$3.5 million (approx. AU$681,800).
The Dundeel is a son of Whispering Brook (Hinchinbrook), a dual Group 2 scorer in her native Australia, who was bought by Katsumi Yoshida at the conclusion of her racing career for $1.1 million at the 2019 edition of the Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. The gelding is the mare’s first foal and he was bought by the HKJC for $525,000 from the Arrowfield Stud draft at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Per Incanto gelding was also bought at the Inglis Easter Yearling Sale in 2022, with the HKJC parting with $560,000 to buy the youngster from the Mike Fleming’s Bhima Thoroughbreds draft.
Catalogued as Lot 10, the youngster is out of dual winner Monarch (Volksraad), making him a brother to Group 1 winner Santa Monica.
Deep Field (Northern Meteor), a former Newgate Farm resident, has proved successful in Hong Kong, with his 40 winners headed by Group 1-winning pair Sky Field and Voyage Bubble. He had two lots catalogued at Friday’s sale and the duo realised an aggregate of HK$7.4 million (approx. AU$1,441,500).
The most expensive of the pair was bought by Alan Kiang Ping Fai, who owns Gummy Gummy in partnership for HK$3.8 million (approx. AU$740,300). Out of Group 3 winner Onemorezeta (Onemorenomore), Lot 12 is a half-brother to two winners. Onemorezeta’s half-siblings include stakes scorer Razeta (Deep Field) as well 2019 Roman Consul Stakes (Gr 2, 1200m) winner tuned Newgate stallion Cosmic Force (Deep Field), who has sired four winners in his first season with runners.
Romantic Warrior (Acclamation) is the sale’s highest earner in history with HK$127.07 million in the bank and his trainer, Danny Shum, bought a Deep Field gelding out of New Zealand Group 3 scorer Whistling Dixie (Pins), for HK$3.6 million (approx. AU$701,300).
Catalogued as Lot 19, the gelding was snapped up by the HKJC for $400,000 from the Segenhoe Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2022. Whistling Dixie is half-sister to Australian Listed winner Atmosphere (Savabeel) who raced as Victory Magic in Hong Kong where he was placed at Group 1 level.
The Kwok family landed Lot 8 for HK$3 million (approx. AU$584,400). By I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit), the gelding is out of the stakes-placed mare Lipari (Redoute Choice), making him a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Levendi and Group 3 scorer Marcel From Madrid (Sepoy). The youngster was bought by the HKJC for $600,000 from Gerry Harvey’’s Baramul Stud draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale in 2022.
Lot 8 was one of two geldings by Yarraman Park’s superstar stallion to be offered during the one-day sale, with Lot 9 being the other and he was bought by the Happy Life Syndicate for HK$2.2 million (approx. AU$428,600).
Out of the stakes-placed mare Mark Two (Pins), Lot 9 was purchased by the HKJC from the Yarraman Park Stud draft for $550,000 at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in 2022.
Yeung Kin Man, owner of Hong Kong Derby (Listed, 2000m) aspirant Galaxy Patch (Wandjina), bought Lot 1 for HK$3 million (approx. AU$584,400). The gelding is a son of the recently pensioned Darley stallion Exceed And Excel (Danehill) and the unraced More Than Ready (Southern Halo) mare Cheetara, who is herself also the dam of juvenile Group 3 winner Single Bullet (Not A Single Doubt).
Cheetara herself is a daughter of Flight Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Dashing Eagle (Danehill). The son of Exceed And Excel was bought by the HKJC from the Corumbene Stud draft for $400,000 at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2022.
A son of Widden Stud’s Zoustar (Northern Meteor) fetched HK$3.2 million (approx. AU$623,400) when selling to Ng Yiu Kwok on Friday. Bought by the HKJC for $340,000 when offered by Widden Stud at the Inglis Premier Yearling Sale in 2022, the gelding is out Group 3 scorer Honey Rider (Pins).
Meanwhile, Lot 11, the other Zoustar offered on Friday, also reached HK$3.2 million (approx. AU$623,400) when purchased by Yip Shu Bun.
A $ 1 million graduate from Emirates Park at the Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale in 2022, the gelding is out out Group 2 scorer One More Honey (Onemorenomore), making him a half-brother to stakes-placed gelding Man In The Mirror (Not A Single Doubt). One More Honey herself is a half-sister to Group 1 winner Vega One (Lope De Vega).
Lam Shui Wah picked up Lot 16, an Irish-bred son of Australia (Galileo), for HK$2.2 million (approx. AU$428,600), while a British-bred son of Invincible Spirit (Green Desert) sold to Jackie Wong See Sum for HK$3 million (AU$584,400). He was catalogued as Lot 15.
Nikki Ng Mien Hua, who raced 2018 Hong Kong Classic Cup (Listed, 1800m) winner Singapore Sling (Philanthropist), purchased Lot 2, a French-bred son of No Nay Never (Scat Daddy), for HK$3.2 million (approx. AU$623,400).
Danny Rolston, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s executive manager, international sale/owners advisory services, said: “We have a lot of confidence in the horses that we have offered and what we’re probably seeing is that when we bought these horses two years ago is that we were operating in a very intense yearling market, so we’ve bought these horses at the very top of the market and we’re seeing a softening in horse sales around the world, which we’ve seen tonight [Friday], we’ve also seen a softening in our wagering turnover and also in the local stock market.
“I think the story of the night is that the sale has seen a bit of a drop in average, but with that comes an opportunity that we were able to give forward to our permit holders with some really nice horses.”
The average of the sale was HK$3.307 million (approx. AU$644,200), while the median finished at HK$3.2 million (approx. AU$623,369), while total turnover was reported as HK$46.3 million (approx. AU$9,019,376).