Irish-breds top the Hong Kong International Sale

A KODIAC (Danehill) gelding, bred in Ireland, topped the Hong Kong International Sale at Sha Tin on Saturday, when all 11 lots on offer sold for a total of HK$31.7 million (€3.75 million). Six of the lots sold were bred in Ireland, two in France, two in Argentina and one in Britain. The half-dozen Irish-breds, all three-year-olds, made the top six prices.

Kerm Din bought the sale-topped for HK$6.5 million (€770,000), having purchased the dual Group 1 winner Pakistan Star out of the same sale ring in 2016. The gelding is out of the Group 3-placed Coolnagree (Dark Angel), from the same family as Hong Kong champion sprinter Lucky Nine (Dubawi). The January-born grey was purchased as a yearling for 525,000gns from his breeder Lodge Park Stud.

A well-connected Exceed And Excel (Danehill) gelding from the outstanding Alruccaba (Crystal Palace) family, sold for HK$4 million (€475,000) to owner Derek Tam Lap-tak who also purchased a Fastnet Rock (Danehill) gelding out of Roselita (Sadler’s Wells), for HK$3.2 million (€380,000). The son of Exceed And Excel is out of the Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) mare Calliston and was a 130,000gns yearling buy from breeder M J Enright, half the cost of the Fastnet Rock at the same sale. The latter was bred by Whisperview Trading.

Cham Kam Hung purchased two of the Irish-breds, the first and last lots sold. They were a Holy Roman Emperor out of Nicate (Teofilo), bred at Yellowford Farm, for HK$3.7 million (€440,000), and an Exceed And Excel out of Royal Oder (Medaglia D’Oro) for HK$2.5 million (€295,000), this one bred by Rabbah Bloodstock.

The sixth Irish-bred sold was a son of Slade Power and Emperors Pearl (Holy Roman Emperor) who was purchased by William Yem Wai Lai for HK$2.7 million (€320,000). The gelding was bred at Ringfort Stud.

A second sale will be held on July 3rd. The May sale offered horses purchased as yearlings in Europe and South America, while the upcoming sale will offer mostly those bought in Australia and New Zealand, whose arrival in Hong Kong was delayed as a result of travel restrictions.

The sale is also likely to include three lots, sourced in South Africa and Ireland, who were withdrawn from the May sale in order to give them more time to mature.