Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Bred by the Hutchins family at Element Hill in Queensland, Golden Sixty, the reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year, returned to the track with another dominant win, this time in the G2 BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile.
Unbeaten since his fourth start, he has drawn within two of matching Silent Witness' (El Moxie {USA}) Hong Kong record of 17-straight wins and can move within one with a successful defence of the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in three weeks' time.
It’s another chapter in the remarkable story of Golden Sixty, who was sold by Element Hill through the 2017 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale for $120,000 to Riversley Park and Enigma Farm, before then being offered by Riversley Park through the New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, where his current trainer Francis Lui picked him up for NZ$300,000.
Having earned over AU$14.6 million across his 19-start career, he is clearly the leading global earner for Darley's Medaglia D'Oro (USA) from a list that includes 157 stakes winners. The stallion has produced 12 winners in total in Hong Kong.
His dam Gaudeamus (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}), bred in Kentucky by Manganaro LLC and raced in Ireland by Jim Bolger for his wife Jackie, won a G2 Debutante S. at Leopardstown before coming to Australia in foal to Pivotal (GB) in 2008 to join Bob and Rosemary Scarborough's Wood Nook Farm.
Golden Sixty as a yearling | Image courtesy of Magic Millions
The Hutchins' family involvement came when Josh Hutchins Bloodstock purchased her for $160,000 carrying the foal that would become Golden Sixty at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
A producer of six winners, including two other stakes performer in Igitur (Helmet) and Rainbow Connection (Choisir), Gaudeamus remains at Element Hill. Her yearling filly by Capitalist sold to All Winners Thoroughbreds for $425,000 at the 2021 Magic Millions Gold Coast Sale. Gaudeamus has missed the past two seasons and was bred to Wootton Bassett (GB) late last month.
Reliable breakthrough
It was two New Zealand-bred horses which captured the other two Group 1 events, with Reliable Team (NZ) (Reliable Man {GB}) winning the G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup and Lucky Patch (NZ) (El Roca) successful in the G2 BOCHK Private Banking Jockey Club Sprint.
Reliable Team, bred by Hayden Dillon's Tullycrine and trained by Frankie Lor, prevailed in the Jockey Club Cup by the narrowest of margins, defeating Ka Ying Star (GB) (Cityscape {GB}).
It was the 6-year-old grey's seventh win in Hong Kong, but his first at stakes level, becoming the 18th stakes winner for his Westbury Stud-based sire. He is now being aimed at the G1 Hong Kong Vase in December.
Like Golden Sixty, he is a graduate of the 2017 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale, where offered by Phoenix Park, he was purchased for NZ$430,000 by Upper Bloodstock, prior to ending up in the ownership of the Nova Stella Syndicate.
His late dam, Stella Doro (NZ) (Faltaat {USA}), has produced six winners from eight to the track and is a half-sister to stakes winners Aquidity (NZ) (Avaray {Fr}) and The Sportsman (NZ) (Kilimanjaro {GB}).
It was a second-straight stakes win for the Francis Lui-trained Lucky Patch, who continues to be a flagbearer for another Westbury Stud sire in El Roca.
Lucky Patch, who raced as Paleontologist in Australia, winning both starts for Billy Healey, claimed his fifth Hong Kong win and adds further to his impressive record.
Bred by Westbury Stud, he was offered through the 2018 Magic Millions National Yearling Sale when purchased by GPI Racing, Healy Racing and Andrew Williams for $40,000 before being later sold to Hong Kong.
His dam, Gould (Danehill Dancer {Ire}), is a granddaughter of stakes-placed Vain mare Captivation, who is also the grandam of Group 1-winning sprinter, Khaptingly (NZ) (Bletchingly). Gould recently produced a sister to Lucky Patch and has a Redwood (GB) colt headed to the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale in 2022.
Hall at the double
The other New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run graduate who got on the winner's list at Sha Tin was the David Hall-trained Good Buddy (NZ) (Showcasing {GB}), who notched his second-straight win when victorious in a Class 4 H. over 1400 metres.
Coming off the back of Riversley Park being the leading vendor for the fifth-straight year at last week's Ready to Run Sale, the 4-year-old, sold to John Foote for NZ$250,000 in 2019 - having originally been purchased for NZ$160,000 at the yearling sales earlier - is the latest star graduate of Sam and Hana Beatson's farm.
Captain Win, who raced as Captain Spud in Australia, became Toronado's (Ire) seventh Hong Kong winner when he broke through for his first success for Hall in a Class 3 race over 1400 metres.
He was also a purchase by Foote, in his case from the Supreme Thoroughbreds draft at the 2019 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, where he cost $80,000. As Captain Spud, the great-grandson of multiple Group 1-winning mare Republic Lass (Canny Lad) won three of his seven starts in Australia for Peter Gelagotis before heading to Hong Kong.
Another multiple Australian winner, Celestial Power (Star Witness), who raced as Captain Stardust in Australia, claimed his fourth win for Frankie Lor in the Class 2 race over 1800 metres.
Another of Lor's Australian-bred contingent, Noor Elaine Farm-bred Master Eight (Oamaru Force), took his record to four wins from as many starts with an easy win in the Class 2 race over 1000 metres.
Jimmy Ting's New Zealand-bred Seasons Bliss (NZ) (Charm Spirit {Ire}) brought up consecutive victories in the opening race, a Class 4 event over 1200 metres, while Irish-bred son of Starspangledbanner, California Spangle (Ire) claimed his third victory in four starts with a win in the final race, the Class 3 over 1200 metres.
