Hong Kong season concludes
Unlike Australia, which races year round, Hong Kong take an annual break from racing and the season has just concluded.
Australian-bred sprinter Sacred Kingdom was edged out of the Horse of the Year honours by Good Ba Ba, but was awarded the Champion sprinter prize, following his win in the G1 HK International Sprint last December.
Sacred Kingdom is a son of Australia’s Champion Sire Encosta De Lago and is rated the best sprinter in the World. He was originally purchased for $200,000 from the 2005 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Gai Waterhouse purchased his half-brother, by Fastnet Rock, for $350,000 at this year’s Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale.
Other awards of note in Hong Kong included Vengeance Of Rain being awarded the lifetime achievement award.
This son of Zabeel originally started his racing career in Australia, before going on to be the best middle distance performer in Hong Kong and a Group 1 winner in Dubai.
His sire Zabeel is the sire of last year’s Melbourne Cup winner Efficient, who is the early favourite for this year’s renewal (Bet On Melbourne Cup now)
Other Zabeel Melbourne Cup winners have been Might And Power (1997) and Jezabeel (1998).
Hong Kong’s Champion Sire went to New Zealand based O’Reilly for the first time.
O’Reilly is the sire of last year’s runaway Caulfield Cup winner Master O’Reilly, who is being aimed at the race again this year, in addition to another tilt at the Melbourne Cup, in which he was a well beaten favourite last year. You can find the latest Melbourne Cup Odds!