Written by Alan Carasso
In this new series, we take a look at Australasian-bred horses down to make their initial starts in Hong Kong - horses either unraced (PPG - privately purchased griffins) or previously raced in Australia and New Zealand (PP - private purchases) - in addition to progressive horses returning from a spell.
The horses listed below have been selected based on notable pedigrees, sales history and/or previous racetrack performances. There are three such runners entered for Wednesday evening’s Happy Valley meeting:
R5–Hong Kong Country Club Challenge H. (C4), HK$967k (AU$182k), 1200m
Smart of Youth (NZ)
(g, 4-year-old, Niagara x Amathea (NZ) (O’Reilly {NZ})
Smart of Youth looks to continue a hot start to the 2019-20 season for Danny Shum, who has engaged champion Zac Purton for the ride. The bay gelding was offered in utero at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Winter Mixed Sale and his dam managed to top that sale on a bid of NZ$250,000 from Dean Hawthorne Bloodstock.
Smart of Youth as a yearling
That purchase came a little more than four months on from the victory of Amathea’s daughter Savaria (NZ) (Savabeel) in that year’s G1 New Zealand Oaks. Smart of Youth was an NZ$18,000 graduate of the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale, but has trained nicely, including an all-the-way success in a 1200 metres all-weather trial on August 30.
Smart of Youth is one of five HK-based horses for his sire, a number that includes G2 Waikato Guineas hero Xbox (NZ) (now named Precious Express). Breeders -Arrowfield Pastoral Ltd & GSA Bloodstock (NZ).
R7–Community Chest Cup H. (C3), HK$1.45m (AU$273k), 1200m
Lightning Star
(g, 4-year-old, Snitzel x Very Cherry (Anabaa {USA})
Formerly named Schnapps and campaigned by a partnership including Jadeskye Racing’s Damion Flower and Sky Racing’s Ron Dufficy, Lightning Star was the winner of a Gosford maiden for Brad Widdup on January 17 and added runner-up efforts in Class 1 H. at Kembla Grange in February and March.
Also trained by Shum, he was a solid second in a 1000 metre turf trial on September 10. Lightning Star’s stakes-placed dam was bought in for $230,000 with this foal in utero at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Breeder -D W Flower (NSW).
Very Cherry dam of Lightning Star
R9-Yip Fat H. (C3), HK$1.45m (AU$273k), 1200m
Reliable Team (NZ)
(g, 4-year-old, Reliable Man (GB) x Stella Doro (NZ) (Faltaat {USA})
Occasionally horses with Classics aspirations will pop up at Valley and surely the connections of Reliable Team are hopeful the grey gelding continues on that trajectory.
Well backed on two late-season runs, each over course and distance, the NZ$430,000 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run graduate validated debut odds of $4.40 to score by a 0.5l on his June 5 debut and followed up with a 3.5l tally as the $2.60 favourite under 133 pounds when last spotted July 3. Zac Purton has the call for Frankie Lor.
Reliable Team (NZ)
Reliable Man returns at this shorter trip, but his pedigree suggests he’ll stay much further. By the winner of the G1 Prix du Jockey Club over 2100 metres, he is out of a half-sister to Aquidity (NZ) (Avaray {Fr}), winner at home of the G3 New Zealand Classic (2000 metres) and of the G2 Herbert Power S. (2400 metres) in heavy ground. Aquidity’s half-brother The Sportsman (NZ) (Kilimanjaro {GB}) won a G2 Moonee Valley Cup over an extended mile-and-a-half distance. Breeder - Tullycrine Ltd.
