Cover image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Dr Gene Tsoi, long time breeder and racehorse owner, is retiring and will disperse 13 broodmares and young stock via Gavelhouse Plus with the auction closing next Wednesday. TTR sat down with Dr Tsoi’s adviser Marcus Corban to discuss his successful run in racing.
“Gene's been a client of Cambridge Stud with Sir Patrick (Hogan) for 30 odd years. He's been a very good breeder and a good supporter with a lot of success, but since COVID, he’s been winding down his operation. It’s time for him to retire and disperse his bloodstock. He wants to enjoy himself in Hong Kong,” Corban said.
“He just loved to come to Australia. He had horses with Bart Cummings, David Hayes, Peter Moody, and he loved coming to Karaka and having meals with Patrick and David Ellis. He loved the social side of the industry as well.
“Friendship and the love of the horse and the person is what's most important with him.”
Dr Gene Tsoi | Image courtesy of The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Thirty years of success keeps going
On Saturday at Caulfield, exciting unbeaten 3-year-old gelding Cruiserweight (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) attempts to make it four wins from as many starts. Bred by Sir Patrick and Lady Hogan and Dr G W Tsoi and raced in New Zealand as Opetaia, Cruiserweight is the first foal of Medal O’Rose (NZ) (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}) who is a half-sister to juvenile Listed winner Al Hasa (Exceed And Excel).
“Cruiserweight was the last horse that Patrick and Gene bred together,” Corban said.
“He’s been very lucky. He’s bred horses very successfully and raced horses very successfully. He bred Linton, King’s Rose, Heatherly, and he’s had racehorses with Sir Patrick. He was in Mouawad, he had shares in Zabeel, Tavistock, and Maroof.
“He’s (Dr Gene Tsoi) been very lucky. He’s bred horses very successfully and raced horses very successfully. He bred Linton, King’s Rose, Heatherly, and he’s had racehorses with Sir Patrick.” - Marcus Corban
"He’s raced a lot of nice horses. St Covet won the Golden Slipper.
“He's had a great association over the years with Bart Cummings, the Hayes family. Peter Moody, Te Akau in New Zealand, so he's been pretty loyal to all those people and he's had a lot of success.”
Cruiserweight (NZ) | Image courtesy of Lindsay Park Racing
Linton (Galileo {Ire}) won the G1 Stradbroke Handicap, while King’s Rose (NZ) (Redoute’s Choice) won the G1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas. At the end of her racing career, she was exported to Japan where her first foal was G3 Tokyo Epsom Cup winner Satono Arthur (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and her second foal Suave Charles (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) won nine races and was stakes placed.
“King’s Rose was a private sale (to Japan). Northern Farms were outstanding, when we went up there for a couple of years (to visit).”
King's Rose (NZ) | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Tasmanian stallion Alpine Eagle is another Tsoi bred, and a multiple of other stakes winners.
“He loves the breeding side. He loves doing his pedigrees, and he loves picking out stallions that he can breed his mares to,” said Corban.
“He (Dr Gene Tsoi) loves the breeding side. He loves doing his pedigrees, and he loves picking out stallions that he can breed his mares to.” - Marcus Corban
“All the fillies that he's raced, he's bred out of them. He raced Great Vintage. Nureyev’s Girl, he bought her as a very expensive weanling and raced her with the Hayes, then bred King’s Rose from her. He liked to make his families, the same with Heatherly, Linton’s family, which started with a Centaine filly he bought in New Zealand.
“He likes supporting young people in the industry. Mark and Lorraine Forbes, who were formerly from Cambridge Stud, they did a lot of his breaking in. Mike Fleming, he followed to Bhima, and he’s had top sales too. He has sold million dollars yearlings at Karaka. He had a couple of horses with Matthew Smith when he started, and Matthew was very good to him.
“He’s really enjoyed it, and he's been very good for the industry.”
Marcus Corban | Image courtesy of Cambridge Stud
Elegant Fashion will always be the queen
Among the many wonderful racehorses that Dr Tsoi has raced, Elegant Fashion (Danewin) stands clear having achieved the one thing all Hong Kong owners want. The Derby.
An outstanding 3-year-old filly, she won her maiden at Caulfield at her third start before winning the G2 Angus Armanasco Stakes at start number five. She put three together in succession, adding the G2 AV Kewney Stakes and G2 Moonee Valley Oaks. Sent to Sydney, she was second in the G1 Australian Oaks, and had a few more starts before an ambitious plan to take her to Hong Kong was commenced.
She won on debut in Hong Kong, was sixth in the Listed Classic Mile, third in the Listed Hong Kong Gold Cup, before her historic victory in the Listed Hong Kong Derby.
“He won the Derby, he loved that. He's had a couple of horses have got to the Derby since. Knowing Gene he’ll look to get another horse up there. He loves the Hong Kong Jockey Club and he’s always been a great host to any clients of Cambridge Stud or anyone who is visiting.
“He won the Derby, he loved that. He's had a couple of horses have got to the Derby since. Knowing Gene he’ll look to get another horse up there. He loves the Hong Kong Jockey Club” - Marcus Corban
“I'll be going up there in December. He's a very good host and a very good person. He's always been a genuine person, and he's a very good doctor. If any of your friends have got problems, he always gives great advice.”
Elegant Fashion | Image courtesy of Hong Kong Derby
Elegant Fashion later added two more Listed wins before coming back to Australia for the 2004 G1 Cox Plate won by Savabeel. She ran fourth in the G1 LKS Mackinnon Stakes before heading back to Hong Kong where she picked up a couple more Listed placings.
Elegant Fashion has been an excellent broodmare, producing Dr Tsoi-bred G3 Ladies Day Vase winner and G1 Australasian Oaks-placed Star Fashion (Street Cry {Ire}) who is the dam of last season’s 2-year-old Listed winner Little Black Dress (Snitzel).
Elegant Fashion also produced stakes placed pair of Fashchanel (NZ) (I Am Invincible) and Classy Fashion (Fusaichi Pegasus {USA}). Her unraced first foal Dezign (Zabeel {NZ}) is the dam of G1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes victrix Nimalee (So You Think {NZ}), G1 Australian Derby-placed Dezignation (So You Think {NZ}) and Group 3-placed The Chairman (High Chaparral {Ire}).
Elegant Fashion is buried at Cambridge Stud. “That was touching, and an honour, they have a plaque there for her,” Tsoi said in 2023.
The Gavelhouse dispersal sale
Open now on Gavelhouse Plus, the Standard 2080 (Dr Tsoi’s breeding company name) unreserved dispersal has 13 lots, led by seven broodmares.
“They’re all on Gavelhouse Plus and I’d like to thank New Zealand Bloodstock for assisting,” Corban said.
“He’s got a couple of nice weanlings, a lovely colt by Super Seth, another nice colt by Almanzor. He’s got a rising 2-year-old by Super Seth who is an outstanding individual and there’s a Maurice filly and a Satono Aladdin rising 2-year-old filly who's been broken in.”
Lot 1: Almanzor x Flower Of Wanaka colt | Image courtesy of Gavelhouse Plus
The Super Seth weanling is the second foal of Zawahir (GB) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) from the family of Champion 3YO Miler in Europe Baaeed (GB) who now stands at stud. Zawahir is being offered as an empty mare.
The Almanzor (Fr) weanling colt is the second foal of Listed winner Flower Of Wanaka (NZ) (Burgundy {NZ}) whose first foal, a rising 2-year-old filly by Satono Aladdin (Jpn) is also on offer.
The three rising 2-year-olds also include a colt by Super Seth from good winner producer Here We Come (Exceed And Excel) and a Maurice (Jpn) filly out of Elegant Fashion’s winning daughter Elegant D’Oro (Medaglia D’Oro {USA}).
“There are seven mares, including a group mare in foal to Auguste Rodin. It’ll be a sad day when it all finishes, but you’ve got to move with the times and we hope the sale is successful for him. Who knows, he might come back and have a filly to race and carry on in the future.”
Flower Of Wanaka is offered in foal to Auguste Rodin (Ire). She won the Listed Tauranga Classic and was placed in the G3 Thompson Handicap. Elegant D’Oro is offered in foal to Hello Youmzain, while race filly Best Rose (Maurice {Jpn}) is out of an unraced half-sister to King’s Rose.
Flower Of Wanaka 9NZ) | Image courtesy of Peter Rubery (Race Images Palmerston North)
A half-sister to Flower Of Wanaka and a full sister to Group 3 winner Tavarnelle (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) is Wanaka Dream (NZ) who is in foal to exciting young sire Sword Of State. Tavarnelle is the dam of G2 WA Derby winner Tuscan Queen (Fastnet Rock).
Winning mare Win Elegance (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}) is carrying her first covering to Coolmore’s exciting acquisition Super Seth. She is from the family of G1 Lockinge Stakes winner Virtual (GB) (Pivotal {GB}) and The Oaks Stud sire Entrepreneur (GB).
