Voyage Bubble’s Derby win hands more Hong Kong success for Deep Field and Torryburn

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Deep Field (Northern Meteor) is already a record-breaking champion sire in Hong Kong, but Sunday’s victory for his son Voyage Bubble in the prestigious Hong Kong Derby (Listed, 2000m) has stamped the Newgate stallion’s superiority on the Hong Kong market. 

A prolific source of winners in Hong Kong, Deep Field broke the record for sire prize-money accrued in the jurisdiction last season when, led by Group 1 winner Sky Field, his progeny amassed a huge HK$55.6 million – a figure he is set to surpass this campaign with Deep Field now sitting on HK$52.88 million (approx. AU$10.05 million) in prize-money. 

His Hong Kong winners, 28 of them from 52 starters, align Deep Field with the best in the jurisdiction, but it will be this breakthrough success over 2000 metres for Voyage Bubble that will see his progeny be even more sought after in Hong Kong. 

Prior to Sunday’s Derby, restricted to four-year-old’s, Deep Field had sired only one stakes winner beyond 1800 metres, in either Hong Kong or Australia, with the Ricky Yiu-trained Voyage Bubble, the winner of the first leg of the Four-Year-Old Series, the Classic Mile (Listed, 1600m), one of just four horses by Deep Field to have won a stakes race over a mile. 

As expected, the progeny of Deep Field, himself a Group 2 winner to 1200 metres, have excelled over a sprint distance, where 23 of his winners in Hong Kong have saluted, and Voyage Bubble was, in most quarters, overlooked as one of the more likely victors of the Derby after a flop over 1800 metres in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (Listed, 1800m). 

But by adding a mile-and-a-quarter string to his bow, Deep Field’s progeny, despite becoming more scarce due to widely reported fertility issues, will become ever more popular for Hong Kong-based buyers, who have snapped up in excess of 15 yearlings by the stallion at this year’s sales so far. 

Voyage Bubble was dropped to the rear of the field from barrier 14 by Alexis Badel, and sighted the leader Keefy (All Too Hard) some 15 lengths as they rounded the back straight, at which stage Badel made a telling move at the midway point of the race, taking the horse up to fifth by the 600-metre mark. 

The pair saw off the threat of favourite Beauty Eternal (Starspangledbanner), who would finish third, before holding off the challenge of Tuchel (Redwood) in the final strides. 

Yiu, who himself admitted to having doubts over whether the horse would see out the Derby trip, purchased Voyage Bubble for a sale-topping $380,000 at the 2020 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, an auction which has proved a useful shopping ground for the leading Hong Kong-based trainer. 

“This is the most prestigious race in Hong Kong racing and I’m very, very happy and grateful to win this Derby race,” Yiu beamed, admitting he harboured stamina doubts over Voyage Bubble.

“Over the trip, 2000 metres, I was a little bit doubtful, and then again with the wide draw. We needed to try something different. We even looked at the previous Derby races, horses drawn from the outside and where they finished and where they made a move,” he said.

“We just stuck to the plan. He had to be relaxed at the first bend, as relaxed as possible, and make the run from the back stretch slowly, gradually. Alexis did a very good job, a tremendous job.

“Over the 2000 metres we tried something different and he [Voyage Bubble] still managed to perform. He is an incredible horse. This horse is very versatile, over the mile or 2000 metres. He’s got a great heart.”

Presented by Torryburn Stud, Voyage Bubble is the sixth of seven foals out of Raheights (Rahy), herself a winner to 1900 metres, and already the producer of Diddums (Snitzel), winner of the PJ Bell Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m). 

Torryburn, who also bred Hong Kong Group 1 winner Hot King Prawn (Denman) as well as Straight Arron (Fastnet Rock), who finished fifth in Sunday’s Derby, purchased Raheights for $31,000 from the 2004 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, and produced six winners from her first six foals before she was retired from stud duties in 2019. 

“She’s been such a wonderful mare, a foundation mare for us, we raced her and she’s just such a beautiful horse and one of the favourites at the farm, she just keeps throwing winner after winner,’’ said John Cornish of Torryburn Stud.

“We’ve had some great success in Hong Kong over the years, I guess especially with Hot King Prawn but this is a wonderful result. They love us in Hong Kong, we keep selling them winners.

“Voyage Bubble made what was a lot of money for a Deep Field back then but credit to Ricky, he saw plenty in him and paid a lot for him but I guess it looks cheap now.

“We really couldn’t be prouder with this result, our record of selling horses to Hong Kong is probably second-to-none for a small stud farm like us but long may it continue.’’

 

Second for Cable Bay

Cable Speed (6 g ex Hear My Cry by Giant’s Causeway) became the second individual winner from three starters in Hong Kong for his sire Cable Bay (Invincible Spirit) when landing a Class 5 handicap over 1800 metres at Happy Valley on Wednesday. Chasing the leaders throughout, the Michael Chang-trained six-year-old gelding was ridden to lead inside the final furlong and kept on strongly to beat Dragon Pride (Sebring) by one and a quarter lengths with a further neck back to Loyal Ambition (Holy Roman Emperor) in third place. The fifth foal out of the Giant’s Causeway (Storm Cat) mare Hear My Cry, herself a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Blingo (Artie Schiller) and Listed scorer Hold To Ransom (Red Ransom), Cable Speed is a half-brother to winners Dandy’s Beano (Dandy Man) and Magia Nera (Bellamy Road). Cable Speed was a €30,000 buy from the Ballyredin and Kellsgrange Studs draft at the Goffs November Foal Sale, before fetching 30,000 gns at Book 2 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, where he was purchased by Sackville Donald. Cable Bay, who shuttled to Woodside Park in Victoria for four seasons, left Highclere Stud last year for the Dr Kehar Singh Stud in India after being purchased by Gaurav Rampal.


24 for I Am Invincible

HKJC International Sale graduate Call Me Dandy (4 g ex Solar Moon by Pivotal) provided Yarraman Park stallion I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) with a 24th individual winner from 36 starters in Hong Kong as he ran out a comfortable victor of a 1200-metre Class 4 contest at Sha Tin. The Francis Lui-trained Call Me Dandy was asked for an effort inside the final two furlongs, leading over a furlong out and staying on strongly to be in full command at the line, beating Champion Instinct (Holler) by two lengths with a further neck back to June Planet (Not A Single Doubt) in third. Out of the winning Pivotal (Polar Falcon) mare Solar Moon, Call Me Dandy is a half-brother to winner Solar Heights (Cape Cross). He was purchased for $700,000 by the Hong Kong Jockey Club from the Three Bridges Thoroughbreds draft at the 2020 Inglis Easter yearling sale, before making HK$4.6 million (approx. AU$874,237) at the International Sale.


24 for Iffraaj

Lucky Gold (5 g ex Kitt Ann Miss by Rock Of Gibraltar) became the 24th individual winner from 54 starters in Hong Kong for his sire Iffraaj (Zafonic) when landing a 1400-metre Class 4 handicap at Sha Tin on Sunday. The Francis Lui-trained five-year-old was in touch with the leaders and kept on well when ridden to lead inside the final two furlongs, beating Golden Bull (Tivaci) by one and a quarter lengths with a further half-length back to War Weapon (Time For War) in third place. Out of the Group 3-placed winning Rock Of Gibraltar (Danehill) mare Kitt Ann Miss, Lucky Gold is a half-brother to three-time winner Sckam (Street Cry). He was passed in with a reserve of $60,000 at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale. Former Haunui Farm shuttler Iffraaj now stands permanently at Dalham Hall Stud for a fee of £15,000 (approx. AU$27,360).

Malaysia
Champ strikes gold again

Golden Champ (Midshipman) made it three wins in as many starts since relocating to Malaysia when the six-year-old landed a Class 3 contest over 1200 metres at Sungei Besi on Sunday.

Having started his career in Uruguay, where he won three of his four starts, the entire had an indifferent time in Singapore, scoring just once in 15 starts.

However, since joining the stable of Tiang Kim Choi he has regained the consistency he showed in the early part of his career, with this latest success again coming under apprentice Nuqman Faris Rozi.

“I wasn’t really confident because it was a stronger field than his last two starts,” said Nuqman after the pair’s three-quarter of a length success. “But Golden Champ has plenty of fighting spirit and refused to give in. I knew I was going to win at the 200 metres.”

The victory capped a memorable afternoon for the apprentice who was completing a four-timer following wins earlier on the card on board Official (The Factor), Harvest (Showcasing) and San Andreas (Smart Missile).

Also showing improved form for the switch from Singapore to Malaysia is Pasir Pinji (Nadeem) with the six-year-old winning for the fourth time in five starts since his move when taking out a Class 4 handicap over 1300 metres at Sungei Besi the previous afternoon.

Having a first start for almost two months, the gelding may well have benefitted from an enforced absence according to his trainer Simon Dunderdale.

“Pasir Pinji was a late scratching two months ago after hurting himself in the truck on the way to the races,” explained the winning trainer. “The break seems to have been good for him.”