Cover image courtesy of Sportpix
With the stout success of the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in the last two decades, and the ferocity of Australia’s sprinting ranks in the same era, it’s hard to grasp that the last Australian-trained winner of the race was in 2001, exactly 20 years ago.
That year, the Queensland star Falvelon travelled to Hong Kong, picking off the G1 Hong Kong Sprint for the second time with Damien Oliver. The year before, in 2000, at just the second running of the sprint feature, the pair had also been successful.
Falvelon | Standing at Glenlogan Park
Falvelon remains the only Australian-trained horse to win the Hong Kong Sprint in 22 years, and he did so twice. Since then, the race has ballooned in stature.
Its past winners now include Silent Witness (El Moxie {USA}), Sacred Kingdom (Encosta De Lago), Lord Kanaloa (Jpn) and Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins). The race is part of the coveted Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) each December, and it’s the final leg of the Global Sprint Challenge.
The race was awarded Group 1 status in 2002, and it was stretched out from 1000 metres to 1200 metres in 2006. This year, it’s worth HK$24 million (AU$4.4 million) in prizemoney, with current nominations sitting at 12 for this Sunday’s race.
More than most years, it’s a largely local affair this time. The tough quarantine protocols in Hong Kong have dissuaded a fair bit of international participation, and only three international horses have reached the field (all from Japan).
Hot King Prawn | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Nevertheless, even in the physical absence of an Australian contender, exactly half the field is Australian-bred, headed by the top-rated Hot King Prawn (Denman). The 7-year-old grey gelding has won 12 of 25 total starts in Hong Kong, a long way from his roots in the Hunter Valley.
Hot King Prawn was bred by Torryburn Stud in 2014 and sold at the 2016 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for $90,000. His lifetime earnings sit at over HK$34 million (AU$6.2 million), nearly 70 times his price tag.
A sprinting star
In southeast Queensland, Eagle Farm trainer Dan Bougoure will be watching the HKIR races with his usual enthusiasm. At this time of year, his memories are valuable as the trainer of Falvelon.
“It’s hard to forget him at this time of year, that’s for sure,” Bougoure said, speaking to TDN AusNZ. “Once we realised what sort of horse Falvelon was, most of his preps were aimed at Hong Kong, and there weren’t big numbers going over then. It was invitation only, so we were lucky enough to get an invite three years in a row, which was a feat in itself. To win two of them was even better.”
“It’s hard to forget him (Falvelon) at this time of year, that’s for sure.” - Dan Bougoure
Falvelon was first invited to Hong Kong in 2000. By that point, the bay horse had stamped himself as a first-class sprinter at home. He won his first seven races on the bounce for Bougoure, including five in Queensland before a handicap win at Caulfield and then a Group 3 victory down the straight six at Flemington.
By the time he first landed in Hong Kong in December 2000, Falvelon had won 10 of 16 starts. He was second or third in four of those races, meaning he was unplaced just twice. Without doubt, he was the sprinting star of Australia which was how he achieved an invite to the HKIR meeting.
Dan Bougoure | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“The first year we were invited, we went,” Bougoure said. “That was in 2000, and we went back in 2001, when we won again, and in 2002 when we were third.”
Falvelon raced successfully from 1998 to 2003. It was the era of Choisir, who passed away at Coolmore on Tuesday, and Show A Heart and Bel Esprit. Falvelon raced against Golden Slipper winner Belle Du Jour (Dehere {USA}), plus Dash For Cash, Private Steer (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) and Spinning Hill (Dolphin Street {Fr}).
Across 37 starts, the old horse won 15 races, 12 of which were stakes events. His prizemoney haul was just short of $4 million, a record among sprinters at that time. Falvelon was twice crowned Australia’s Champion Sprinter, and he was four times Queensland Horse of the Year.
When Falvelon retired after the G1 Stradbroke H. of 2003, Bougoure said at that time; “Everyone seems to have a better one at home, but I don’t.”
Seasoned traveller
Bougoure was in his 30s during the Falvelon years, but he wasn’t a stranger to champion horses. As the son of Doug Bougoure, who trained Strawberry Road, he was already exposed to brilliant animals.
“I was only in my early 30s when Falvelon arrived at the stables, so he was certainly a big boost for me,” Bougoure said. “He won his first seven, so he got me going in the right direction, no doubt about that. A horse like that gives you a hell of a lot of confidence, not to mention people to invest in your stable. He helped me immensely.”
“A horse like that (Falvelon) gives you a hell of a lot of confidence, not to mention people to invest in your stable. He helped me immensely.” - Dan Bougoure
When still a young man, that first Hong Kong Sprint experience was unforgettable for Bougoure.
“I’d been in Hong Kong only once before, on a stopover on the way home,” the trainer said. “But 2000 was the first time I went to race a horse. I’d asked Neville Begg all about it and he’d given me some good advice, but the overall experience in Hong Kong is just out of this world. It was different to anywhere else that I’d been up to that point in my training career.”
Bougoure said it was an honour to represent Australia in Hong Kong, and he’s genuine about that. He said winning was an added bonus, even if Falvelon looked a winner before he ever set foot on a plane.
Falvelon when racing | Image courtesy of Sportpix
“He had all the attributes to travel,” Bougoure said. “He had a really good attitude and constitution, and that’s the key to travelling horses, along with ability, obviously. The first year he went over, he lost eight kilos on the plane, which is very good, and the next year he lost nothing. The third year he put three kilos on, so he became a very seasoned traveller very quickly.”
Holding its own
Falvelon is 25 years old these days, whiling away the seasons at Glenlogan Park. He covered his first book of mares in 2003, and he has continually covered at Glenlogan Park since then.
At his peak in 2008, he stood for $22,000 (inc GST), and he has sired 12 stakes winners for 20 stakes wins. Among Falvelon’s best progeny are the five-time stakes winner Excellantes and the G2 BTC Champagne S. winner Keiki.
Gallery: Some of Falvelon's most successful progeny
Bougoure said he hasn’t had a horse as remotely as good to warrant an invitation to Hong Kong again, albeit he has had multiple Group winner Scenic Peak (Scenic {Ire}) and Oakleigh Girl (Snitzel), who was twice a stakes winner and a runner-up to Unencumbered (Testa Rossa) in the R. Listed Magic Millions 2YO Classic.
Bougoure hasn’t returned to the Hong Kong races since taking Falvelon, but he never misses watching the HKIR each December.
“It’s a fantastic place, Hong Kong,” he said. “The way they do things over there, the way they organise everything, it’s just so well done. The first time I went, I was there for two weeks and I needed a week off after I got home, so I only went for a week each time after that.”
“It’s a fantastic place, Hong Kong. The way they do things over there, the way they organise everything, it’s just so well done.” - Dan Bougoure
Bougoure said the horses, owners, trainers and strappers are looked after with extraordinary attention to detail, and he didn’t think the lack of an international contingent this year would hurt the spectacle too much.
“It’s a wonderful meeting and it will hold its own, no matter what the conditions,” he said. “The calibre of horses in Hong Kong has improved out of sight since I was there, and they’re just getting better and better.
"They’ve probably got enough good horses alone in Hong Kong to host that meeting, so it’s just a bonus to have the top echelon of international horses go over.”
