Hong Kong-based buyers make trip to Sydney but they’re not alone at Riverside
Hutch optimistic of good Inglis Ready2Race Sale with graduate success to showcase two-year-olds
Hong Kong-based buyers have consistently held the key to the success of two-year-old sales across Australasia and their collective place on the buying bench at the Inglis Ready2Race Sale will take on increasing importance this year.
Inglis Bloodstock chief executive Sebastian Hutch is not downplaying the leading racing jurisdiction’s likely influence on today’s sale in Sydney, but he didn’t discount other Asian buyers, including those from the maligned Singapore and Macau industries, still being active at Riverside Stables.
He is also counting on the Ready2Race sale’s growing graduate honour roll, which includes 2022-sold dual Group 3-winning colt Libertad (Russian Revolution), as an incentive for Australian owners and trainers to be active at this year’s juvenile sale.
“We’ve had excellent interest in the sale from Hong Kong, I’d say as strong as we’ve ever had, and representation here at the sale from Hong Kong is going to be fantastic and we’re pretty hopeful that there’s a good group of horses here that will satisfy a significant amount of their demand,” Hutch told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“They’ll be supplemented by additional interest from some of the other parts of South East Asia, such as Malaysia and there’ll be some Macau and Singapore representation as well, but ultimately a huge amount of the opportunity is going to be left for domestic buyers to take advantage of.”
Mark Newnham, the rookie Hong Kong trainer on the cusp of his first winner in Asia, has returned to Sydney for the Ready2Race sale, as he seeks fresh blood to add to his makeshift stable as he awaits a wave of untried stock to make their mark at Sha Tin and Happy Valley.
During the inspections, the former Sydney trainer was accompanied by Group 1-winning rider Danny Beasley, now domiciled in southern NSW at Wagga Wagga and recently dual-licensed as a trainer and jockey, who will prepare some of Newnham’s horses.
“These sales are good for Hong Kong buyers because it takes that little bit of extra time away instead of buying yearlings and you get to see a little bit more,” Newnham told ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday.
“I have always Iiked training a horse who is going to train on a bit, so you’re not looking at the obvious two-year-old running types, but more the three and four-year-old types and that’s what you need in Hong Kong.
“You need a horse with a bit of longevity, so a horse that might be a little bit immature to an Australian buyer might just suit what we’re looking for, a horse who can race on for a few seasons.”
Granted a Hong Kong trainers licence ahead of the new season, which started in September, Newnham believes he and his clients will have enough horses to choose from when selling starts this morning.
“I’ve got a short list already and the vet will no doubt shorten that again because the vetting process for Hong Kong is very strict,” he said.
“They need a good x-ray and a good scope, so that will narrow the list down a bit more, but there’s enough here to choose from.”
Newnham’s Sha Tin peer, champion trainer Ricky Yiu, is also on the grounds with his trusted ally Dean Hawkes at a sale that has proven to be a happy hunting ground for him.
Yiu bought five yearlings last year from $130,000 to $280,000, while Hong Kong agent Willie Leung of Magus Equine is another regular who has returned to Sydney for the sale.
Trilogy Racing’s Sean Dingwall, who along with business partners Jason and Mel Stenning bought into dual Group 3-winning colt Libertad with trainer Annabel Neasham out of the 2022 sale, was on hand yesterday as were fellow trainers John McArdle and Gai Waterhouse who had Kestrel Thoroughbreds’ Bruce Slade assisting with the compilation of a short list.
Syndicator Darby Racing, which bought stakes-winning sprinter Malkovich (Choisir) from the 2019 Inglis Ready2Race Sale, was another group who could be active this year after being cautious at this year’s yearling sale series while Lindsay Park’s Josh Rix and agent Dean Hawthorne were also casting their eye over the two-year-olds.
“There were stages earlier in the year where supply in certain parts of the market outstripped demand, but spring racing has brought new opportunities for people,” Hutch said.
“Some good results for particular participants and some participants who were inclined to want to be conservative during the yearling sale series may be prepared to be more opportunistic or more bullish here and I think that will be reflected in the activity of certain buyers.
“There’ll be buyers and people who vendors see being active who they may not necessarily have expected. Again, it’s all about trying to take advantage of the opportunities that are there.”
Glenn Haven Racing’s Matt Vella has two colts set to go under the hammer, by Hellbent (I Am Invincible) and Zoustar (Northern Meteor) respectively, after being forced to withdraw five horses.
He is confident that the sire power left in the small Glenn Haven Racing draft will hold him in good stead.
“I have found that’s the best way to sell your horse. They’ve obviously got to breeze well and be well-conformed, but I find, particularly the guys from Hong Kong, that they are going by the sire,” Vella said.
“I have actually ended up with just the two horses this year as the others ended up going a bit shin sore or they didn’t come up well enough to bring to the sale as we’re trying to produce quality and be horses who can go on and give you a good name.”
Vella elected to breeze his two horses on the turf at Hawkesbury rather than the polytrack.
“It’s a no-brainer, they race on the grass in most countries and most venues, so I think it’s very good this year that we are seeing them on the grass.
“We did it quite a few years ago on the grass and I thought the results were a lot better.
“There’s always that doubt in people’s minds that if they gallop on the poly, will they do it on the grass, so I think it’s a great initiative.”
The Ready2Race sale starts at 11am (AEDST).