By Alan Carasso
Barrring any 11th-hour scratchings, a total of 28 ready-to run horses from the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will go under the hammer Friday evening in a makeshift sales ring in the Sha Tin parade ring in the first of two sales to be conducted over the next few months by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. The horses were acquired at auction houses in Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland and France and were all broken at home prior to their export to Hong Kong.
The progeny of Danzig and Danehill and their sons at stud have always excelled in Hong Kong, and of the 28 horses cataloged for the sale, fully 15 of them are by Danzig-line stallions, including one of the sale's most-fashionably bred offerings. Lot 17 is a 3-year-old son of Holy Roman Emperor (Ire), sire of Hong Kong legend Designs on Rome (Ire) and other Group 1 winners Beauty Only (Ire) and the history-making Rich Tapestry (Ire). The grey gelding is out of Ysoldina (Fr) (Kendor {Fr}) making him a half-brother to 2017 G1 Investec Derby hero Wings of Eagles (Fr) (Pour Moi {Ire}) and two other black-type performers. Bred by Mme Aliette Forien, the April foal was purchased by the HKJC for €130,000 from the Montaigu consignment at the 2016 Arqana August Yearling Sale. Exceed and Excel (Aus), the sire of G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint hero Mr Stunning (Aus) and Snitzel (Aus), whose son Sun Jewellery (Aus) won the first two legs of the 4YO series in 2016, are also represented by horses in the sale.
While purchasing horses with big pedigrees is typically cost-prohibitive, the HKJC struck for another such animal when laying out a whopping €450,000 for lot 15 from the draft of Horse Park Stud at the 2016 Arqana August sale. Bred by Sabena Power, the March 22 foal is a son of Dutch Art (GB) and Girl Power (Ire) (Key of Luck), making him a full-brother to champion European sprinter and dual Group 1 winner Slade Power (Ire).
The Dubawi (Ire) shuttler Poet's Voice (GB) is having increasing success abroad and his first progeny to be imported to Hong Kong is cataloged as lot 6. An A$280,000 purchase from Amarina Farm at the 2016 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, the August-foaled brown gelding is a 3/4-sibling to the MGSW & MG1SP Catkins (Aus) (Dubawi {Ire}), a winner of 16 races overall for earnings in excess of A$2 million.
Other sires with their first horses to be brought into the former British colony include dual Derby hero Camelot (GB), Havana Gold (Ire), Harbour Watch (Ire) and Bated Breath (GB). Lawman (Fr) and Casino Prince (Aus) have had success in Hong Kong from limited runners.
The Hong Kong International Sale is expected to begin around 7:45pm local time following a cocktail reception, with Tattersalls' John O'Kelly at the rostrum. Click here for the live webcast and for the full catalogue.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
