It’s the time of year where Hong Kong owners are searching for their next superstar.
Earlier this month, the Hong Kong Jockey Club released the list of successful permit holders for their owners ahead of the upcoming season, which determines what owners are able to import a new galloper into Hong Kong and whether that horse has raced previously or not.
This week’s Royal Ascot meeting has been a popular shop for Hong Kong owners looking to purchase top European bloodstock, but the majority of horses in the lucrative jurisdiction are from the southern hemisphere, as a planeload of horses from Australia and New Zealand fly into the racing mad city on a regular basis.
So, for bloodstock agents and trainers alike, what are they looking for when importing promising tried thoroughbreds from Australia that they think will make the grade at Sha Tin and Happy Valley?
George Moore, the son of former top Hong Kong trainer John Moore, recently purchased this year’s Group 3 Black Opal Stakes winner Holmes A Court. An expensive yearling, Holmes A Court had four starts for Peter and Paul Snowden and contested the G1 Golden Slipper at his final Australian start, before moving on to join Tony Cruz’s stable.
“He’s a very good-looking horse,” Moore said.
“I thought that he’s probably one of the better horses that I have imported into Hong Kong, or anyone has imported into Hong Kong in the last couple of months, so we’re quite excited to see what he can do.”
WATCH: Holmes A Court’s biggest win to date
— Trilogy Racing (@TrilogyRacing1) March 12, 2024Holmes A Court (Capitalist x Menagerie) wins the Group 3 Black Opal Stakes in Canberra on Sunday March 10th 2024.🐎🏆🥇
Trainer: @SnowdenRacing1
Jockey: @TommyBerry21Video: Sky Racing
Congratulations to all connections!!@NewgateFarm @Chinahorseclub @gobloodstockaus pic.twitter.com/AUPUCyUsSl
While Moore’s owners determine the kinds of tried horses that he buys from Australia, there are a few key rules that he follows when it comes to the physical nature and form of a horse.
“The general rules for Hong Kong are 480kg or above, horse 15.3 (hands) minimum (height), progressive form with no more than nine starts,” he said.
“Ideally, I’d probably want something with three to four starts and progressive form.”
Moore, who was behind the purchases of subsequent superstars Rapper Dragon and Beauty Generation, noted that size does matter when it comes to sourcing bloodstock for Hong Kong, as he said that more lightly framed horses don’t tend to acclimatise to the unique environment as well.
“A lot of my clients will ask me about weights,” he said.
“Probably the second question most clients in Hong Kong will ask, ‘what’s the weight of the horse?’”
When it comes to helping horses become accustomed to the conditions of life as a racehorse in Hong Kong and living in double-storey stable buildings in the bustling city, that’s the job of the trainer.
Thirteen-time champion jockey turned trainer Douglas Whyte has Robbie Laing’s former galloper Hey Fat Cat coming to join his stable imminently. Under Laing’s care, the son of Rubick won at Sale and Sandown, and wasn’t far behind elite gallopers Mr Brightside, Southport Tycoon and Veight when he did race at the highest level.
“He looks a nice individual, he’s only a three-year-old going on four now but he looks like he’s been running and handling himself well in real group one races,” Whyte said.
“He’s probably just a length or two behind them at the moment and it looks like if he does step up, he could be a proper individual for the Four-Year-Old Series next year.”
Whyte has already enjoyed success as a trainer with horses bought from the land Down Under. His first group one winner as a trainer was in the 2022 Centenary Sprint Cup with Stronger, who had won three races for the Snowden’s before making the move to Hong Kong.
In Hey Fat Cat, Whyte believes that he has a horse that “ticks all the boxes” for Hong Kong racing.
“He’s got a lovely action, he’s got speed, gate speed, he’s finishing a couple of lengths behind the top end there and he looks like he handles fast ground,” Whyte said.
“He’s got a lot going for him. As I said, he’s got to lift his game slightly. When horses do come to Hong Kong, there’s a bit of a shell shock in what’s expected of them in the pressurized jurisdiction that it is, but he looks like a big enough, well-tempered enough horse that I’m hoping he can handle all of that.”
WATCH: Hey Fat Cat’s win at Sandown
Whyte described the task of getting a new horse to acclimatise to Hong Kong as being one requiring time and patience, but one that’s also rewarding too.
“It’s a pleasure watching them develop and it’s a pleasure being part of that slow development and watching things unfold,” he said.
“I think what I’ve come to enjoy most about it is the preparation. You can get on a horse and aim towards a race and when you get there, you really appreciate the time, effort and the journey along the way that’s afforded you to get to that particular race.”
