Eustace looks to continue prodigious rise in Hong Kong
Hong Kong is set for one of its biggest ever racedays on Sunday as a host of international stars come together for FWD Champions Day at Sha Tin.
And one of the biggest international success stories to come out of the jurisdiction this season has been that of David Eustace.
The English native arrived in Hong Kong after a number of years working in some of Australia’s top stables, including Peter Moody, Peter and Paul Snowden and then ultimately Ciaron Maher, with whom he formed a dominating training partnership in 2018 and shared in 30 Group 1 triumphs, including the 2022 Melbourne Cup (Gr 1, 3200m) with Gold Trip (Outstrip) and 2020 Cox Plate (Gr 1, 2040m) with Sir Dragonet (Camelot) among over 1,500 winners.
Maher and Eustace won the Australian trainers’ premiership in 2023 with 347 wins before Eustace departed in early 2024 to set up his Sha Tin training facility.
The nephew of former Hong Kong-based horseman David Oughton, Eustace assumed training duties there last September and has since had a notable impact, notching 24 victories and earning HK$31.7 million (AU$5.71 million) in prize-money.
“Honestly I didn’t really know what to expect,” Eustace told ANZ Bloodstock News.
“I just thought between 20 and 30 winners would be great. Obviously we’ve managed to do that with a couple of months [of the season] to go, so hopefully we’re heading towards the 30-marker if everything continues to progress.
“I’d be delighted with that number. The team’s done a great job and the horses have largely raced quite consistently, which is pleasing.”
New milestones are coming thick and fast for the trainer, who celebrated the first treble of his career at Sha Tin on April 6 courtesy of victories by Regency Happy Star (Lonhro), Good Luck Babe (Delago Deluxe) and Sea Sapphire (Husson) and now has a full stable to go to war with in the coming months.
“We started with 20 horses at the start of the season,” he said. “Thankfully, we’re now full, hopefully with some nice horses for next year.
“The barn won’t change much between now and the start of next season, so I’m looking forward to getting to know them and getting some runs into them before giving them a little break. I’m very pleased with how it’s gone so far.”
Eustace’s time in Australia has proved crucial to his seemingly immediate success in Hong Kong, with the unique tight circuits of Sha Tin and Happy Valley having proved easier to navigate after training out of Caulfield with Ciaron Maher.
The pair also managed stables out of Ballarat, Cranbourne, Pakenham, and Warwick Farm, meaning Eustace gained experience with a multi-site training model.
He now puts that experience to use by utilising the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Conghua Racecourse in mainland China as part of his training regimen, describing it as a “world-class” establishment to maintain horses’ freshness and provide a change of scenery.
“My time at Caulfield was a huge help in regards to training here,” Eustace said. “I would say they’re relatively similar, but the key difference is they’ve got to race here all year. Freshen ups consist of time at Conghua instead of having some physical time in the paddock.
“Using Conghua as an aid has been great and I suppose that was what was a real help transferring from Australia to here – I was used to having horses out of different locations, trusting staff and having those communication systems in place. I’ve got a good team in both stables and they’ve been a huge help throughout, which I’m very grateful for.”
Eustace is currently operating at a strike rate of around 10.6 per cent, however winners were never a given in such a competitive jurisdiction with tight regulations, including on tactical scratchings – for barrier draws, pace scenarios, or weight complaints – which are not accepted.
“The first thing that [former Australian-based trainer] Mark Newnham said to me when I arrived was to get used to getting beaten, and he was absolutely right,” Eustace said.
“The stats suggest that. If you’re going well you’re at about ten per cent, if you’re going really well you’re at about 12, not necessarily strong numbers in other countries where you can place and scratch to avoid wide barriers etc.”
“That’s something you accept early on, it is what it is. You just make sure that when you enter, you want to run. If you get a wide barrier…tough. You have to think about how you execute it tactically.”
Eustace’s stable expansion includes high-profile acquisitions such as Group 1 winner Victor The Winner (Toronado) and Hong Kong Derby (2000m) champion Massive Sovereign (No Nay Never).
While the majority of his sourced horses hail from the southern hemisphere, Eustace is open to more runners from elsewhere.
“I think you have to have an open mind,” he said. “You’ve got to trust the people helping you, which I’ve got – agents I’ve known a long time who’ve been doing it for a long time.
“It’s southern hemisphere-market dominated and for good reason. It’s big racing and the horses settle in a bit quicker. But we’re very aware the European bloodlines are very strong, when they come down to Australia they dominate those middle-distance races.
“People are sourcing horses from Europe and Australia and have been for a number of years. We’re always on the lookout for the right horse coming from Europe as well.”
Eustace also stressed the importance of obtaining horses with a balanced mix of abilities in order to achieve the most prosperity in Hong Kong.
“You’ve got to have a really good balance of horses, you can’t have horses just in Class 3s,” he said. “Everyone might think you want a certain quality of horse but the majority of horses are racing at the bottom 40/50 per cent.
“Class 4s and 5s come into consideration all the time, so just finding that balance is going to take time but I think I have got quite a nice balance of horses competing in a number of races.”
An aspect of the jurisdiction Eustace was new to was the jockey booking system, which operates under a centralized system where trainers request jockeys via the HKJC, who organise the bookings rather than jockey agents.
“You’re handling things yourself and speaking directly to the jockeys,” the trainer said.
“I quite like that, they commit to a ride and there’s no change. I think it’s a good system. The nightmare scenario for a trainer is you have a good jockey and they go to a different meeting, whether it’s in the UK, or Australia or wherever.
“It really helps and there’s a very good team of jockeys here so I think we’re lucky in that regard. You feel the more you’re here, you get a feel of which jockeys might suit your horse and certain tracks.”
This weekend, Eustace will be represented by Karis Teetan, who is booked to ride Victor The Winner in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize (Gr 1, 1200m) as well as Silvery Breeze (Dundeel) and Good Luck Babe in a pair of Class 3 events.
Winner of the Centenary Sprint Cup (Gr 1, 1200m) last January, Victor The Winner was acquired from Danny Shum’s stable and will make his stable debut for Eustace on Sunday against the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising (Shamexpress).
“He’s in good form,” Eustace said. “Obviously I haven’t had him long, I was able to give him a break and really target this race.
“I know it’s a really big challenge for him but I do think he’s in good form. I can’t compare him to when he was racing so well for Danny but he looks great. He’s flourished leading into the spring, his action couldn’t be better. I was very happy with his work on Monday.
“I think that’s going to be important for him to run well. There is a bit of rain around which would be an absolute Godsend. Not any on the day unfortunately, but myself and the owner Chu Yun Lau would like to see him bounce back and show he’s still got some zest for racing. If he does, we can consider more options down the track.”
Silvery Breeze resumes after suffering a nasty fall last-start in February which prevented a Hong Kong Derby tilt, while Hugh Bowman takes the ride aboard his promising stablemate Runjeet (Shalaa) in the 1200-metre Class 4 contest.
“Thankfully Silvery Breeze has come through the awful fall okay but we gave him a break and he’s freshened up well,” Eustace said. “I’m sure he’ll come on for the run but he races well fresh and won his first start over course and distance.
“I like, whether Sunday or beyond, Runjeet – he’s a horse to keep an eye on for the future.”
The future looks sure to be bright for Eustace, who also highlighted three-year-old Colourful King (Blue Point) as a horse to keep an eye on, with the Australian import winning twice at Class 3 level since arriving at his new base.
“Colourful King is a fantastic one – won two Class 3s on the bounce and is only three, so very hopeful that he can improve and take the next step,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of horses I haven’t raced. There’s a horse called Lucky Captain, previously called Call Me Captain who won a maiden in Ireland, he looks promising. I’m looking forward to seeing them mature over the summer and hopefully can continue their form to next year.”