A son of record-breaking sire Deep Field has topped the 2022 Hong Kong International Sale after attracting a bid of HK$7.8 million at the Sha Tin Parade Ring on Saturday as all 17 lots offered realised a total of HK$71 million.
By the same sire as Gr1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) winner Sky Field and a host of other Hong Kong winners including The Golden Scenery, Californiadeepshot and Winning Dreamer, the athletic chestnut was one of four lots to top HK$5 million.
Underscoring the popularity of Deep Field, who holds the Hong Kong single-season record for prize money earned by progeny, the Lot 11 two-year-old – who is from the well-credentialled More Than Ready mare Bousquet – was the subject of a willing bidding tussle before being knocked down to Yue Yun Hing.
Lot 11 tops the sale at HK$7.8 million
The Yue family, who have raced a host of successful gallopers in Hong Kong including Panfield and Butterfield, also claimed the second highest-lot at the sale with the HK$7 million purchase of Lot 7, a gelded son of Starspangledbanner to Edmond Yue Kwok Yin.
Lot 15 – a chestnut gelding by Snitzel out of Encosta de Lago mare Houston Benefactor – was purchased by Yip Wing Kui for HK$5.8 million, while Lot 4 – a bay gelding by Fastnet Rock out of Northern Meteor mare Diana’s Star – was secured by Philip Liu Chun Hang for HK$5 million.
The hammer falls for Lot 15 at HK$5.8 million
The sale average was HK$4.1 million, up from $HK2.95 million in 2021, while the median reached HK$3.6 million, up from $2.8 million in 2021.
Mr Danny Rolston, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Executive Manager, International Sale/Owners Advisory Services, said: “With significant increases in average and gross turnover, the Club is overall really happy with the outcome of the sale – the strong results are a reflection of the Hong Kong Jockey Club members’ confidence in the horses that have been selected for the sale, the results of the graduates that have come out of the sale but most importantly the confidence and strength of Hong Kong racing and this is a reflection of the significant increases in prize money for next season.
“I think the two top lots were fairly obviously going to be the highlight horses, they breezed particularly well and they’re both by stallions that are very popular. Beyond that it’s really hard to predict what the horses are going to sell for and just how much the turnover will be but we’re very happy to see such a significant increase in gross turnover.
“While we sold 17 horses here today, that was just the select group of horses that was decided were completely well suited to the environment in Hong Kong to be offered at the sale. There’s still 12 that didn’t come to the sale and that is a reflection of the standard that we have before we even bring them through for the auction.”
