By Alan Carasso
For many years a part of the festivities of Hong Kong International Races week, officials at the Hong Kong Jockey Club took a decision in 2014 to push the sale forward a few months, reasoning that the extra time could do a world of good for the young horses. The auction is unique, as it is exclusive to members of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and will take place with cocktail party-esque glitz and glamour in the Sha Tin parade ring Friday evening (Hong Kong time) beginning at 7:45 p.m (7:45 a.m ET–click for a live webcast).
Though the sale has had its fair share of marquee results down the years, including G1 Hong Kong Mile winner The Duke (Aus) (Danehill) (HK$1.6 million purchase) and world champion and treble Hong Kong Mile hero Good Ba Ba (Lear Fan) (HK$1.7 million), 'TDN Rising Star' Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal) could take the event to new heights this weekend.
An €180,000 purchase by the HKJC at the 2014 Arqana Deauville Sale, he was knocked down to owner Kerm Din at last year's HKIS for HK$6 million, a result that might have surprised some given the gelding's antics during the under-tack show. Displaying some of the single-mindedness that has carried over to his racing career, the son of Nina Celebre (Ger) (Peintre Celebre) played up like a stubborn infant, refusing to do much more than walk before ultimately capitulating.
“I nearly died when he did that!” Mark Richards, Hong Kong Jockey Club's Executive Manager, International Sale, told the HKJC's David Morgan last week.
Pakistan Star has since won three of his eight starts while earning better than HK$6.8 million. His runner-up effort in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) stamps him as one of the main threats to Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) in Sunday's Hong Kong Derby.
“In the six years I've been doing this job, he's a standout,” Richards offered. “And for all the reasons that have been mentioned many times before now: how he turned up late for the sale, the unprepared way that he looked at the sale, that refusal to breeze and then everything he's done since.”
Some 31 horses–up from 25 last year–comprise the 2017 HKIS draft, and each of the 13 Northern Hemisphere- and 18 Southern Hemisphere-bred runners took to the Sha Tin turf course late last week to audition in front of prospective buyers (click for the breeze-up replays).
As is often the case, a handful of the horses selected by Richards and his team for the HKIS have some sort of pedigree connection to locally based runners, present and past. Such is the case with lot 12, an Australian-bred son of Starcraft (NZ) purchased for A$60,000 at the 2015 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale. Starcraft is the sire of 10 winners in Hong Kong, the most accomplished of whom is the good sprinter Blizzard (Aus), and he is also responsible for Jing Jing Win (Aus), the HK$8.5 million topper from the 2016 HKIS. The latter has shown promise in winning two of his first three career starts and returns from a three-month absence at the top of a Class 3 over 1200m Sunday afternoon. Lot 12's winning dam Biancalaura (Aus) (Belong to Me) is a half-sister to Twiglet (Aus) (Twig Moss {Aus}), the dam of Hong Kong legend Fairy King Prawn (Aus) (Danehill) (click for an index of all lots).
Other lots of interest from a pedigree perspective include: lot 7, More Than Ready gelding from Group 3 winner Zingaling (Aus) (Redoute's Choice) and representing the wildly successful cross of the dual-hemisphere sire over Danehill; lot 10, a Duporth (Aus) full-brother to MG1SP juvenile Cornrow (Aus); lot 15, an Irish-bred son of Dark Angel (Ire) from the family of US champion English Channel; lot 16, a gelded son of the late Hussonet from South African champion Almah (SAf) (Al Mufti), also the dam of South African GSW & G1SP Sensible Lover (Aus) (Good Journey); lot 23, an initial Hong Kong offering by Smart Missile (Aus) and bred on the reverse cross responsible for Frankel (GB); and lot 31, a son of Black Caviar (Aus)'s sire Bel Esprit (Aus) carrying 3×5 inbreeding to Crimson Saint.
For his part, Richards is expecting another positive result Friday.
“They are a very even line-up,” he told the HKJC's Andrew Hawkins. “They are a good group of horses across the board, they have plenty of stature, and there is a lot for trainers to work with once they enter the Hong Kong training system.” (click for David Morgan's interview with Richards discussing the selection process and prepping the horses for the sale).
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