Cover image courtesy of Inglis
Along with the likes of Marie Yoshida's Asian Bloodstock Services, Bridle Bloodstock, George Moore Bloodstock, Golden River/All Winners and C H Ngai, Hong Kong Jockey Club, via Craig Rounsefell of Boomer Bloodstock (FBAA), also stepped up, with five purchases, including the equal highest price it has ever paid for an Australian yearling, $1 million for Lot 329, a Zoustar colt out of Emirates Park draft.
Rounsefell also purchased colts by Dundeel (NZ) (Lot 22 for $525,000), Exceed And Excel (Lot 107 for $400,000), Per Incanto (USA) (Lot 299 for $560,000) and Deep Field (Lot 469 for $750,000) across the two days and all are headed toward the Hong Kong International Sale, along with the nine yearlings purchased earlier this year.
Craig Rounsefell | Image courtesy of Inglis
Picking your mark in what was a tough market for buyers is crucial especially for those buying for racing markets overseas and Rounsefell was very select with what he targetted at what was a record Easter Sale.
"We are trying to find really top-quality horses that can be re-offered at the (International) Sale for members and that are special horses. We aren’t usually competing with the stallion funds who might be looking to buy 2-year-old horses that’s not our go," Rounsefell said.
"We are looking for horses that will race at three, four, five and six. We want them to be durable and sound.
"We are looking for horses that will race at three, four, five and six. We want them to be durable and sound." - Craig Rounsefell
"The horses we are buying are very clean in terms of vetting as well, the Jockey Club has the highest standards when it comes to their vetting and the ones that do buy, have gone through a lot of hoops to stay on the list."
Buying for the International Sale, which is held in July, is a different experience than most other buyers on the ground at Riverside Stables, with a clear understanding needed of what the market in Hong Kong is interested in, while staying within the setting and x-rays standards.
That includes considering stallion appeal, with the likes of Exceed And Excel, Deep Field and Per Incanto, two stallions the HKJC purchased yearlings by this week, highly successful in Hong Kong. Per Incanto leads the Hong Kong Sires' Championship with 18 winners again this season, while Deep Field is second on 10.
Gallery: Some of the yearlings purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, images courtesy of Inglis
Zoustar has already had five winners in Hong Kong this season, including the Group 3 winner Healthy Happy, while Dundeel has made an impression with three winners from just seven runners.
"We do look at certain stallions and there is a big team that do pedigrees and delve into aspects there. If the horses are sound, they can go through their grades and be competing for many seasons and do well for their owners," he said.
"We are looking for proven stallions off proven farms. Here at Easter, the families are outstanding, and they will be well received at the International Sale."
A $1 million star
The Zoustar colt was purchased off Emirates Park and is out of One More Honey (Onemorenomore), who was a Group 2 winner as a 2-year-old and whose not 2-year-old son by Not A Single Doubt, Man In The Mirror, secured $1.8 million through the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale and was recently placed in the G2 VRC Sires' Produce S.
Man In The Mirror | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
A little less precocious than both his dam and half-brother, the $1 million colt fell into the perfect profile for Rounsefell and the HKJC.
"He's obviously a beautiful, athletic colt, We thought we might come up a bit short, but he has a bit more scope and might be a horse that improves with age," he said.
"It’s a lovely family, mum had a lot of speed, the first runner has some talent, so hopefully he's a star in Hong Kong in the future.
"It’s a lovely family, mum had a lot of speed, the first runner has some talent, so hopefully he's (Lot 329) a star in Hong Kong in the future." - Craig Rounsefell
"He's a later foal (October 22), and the cross has worked before, it’s a similar cross with Sunlight and that Red Ransom line."
The pricetag equalled the prices paid by Hong Kong Jockey Club for two colts by I Am Invincible from this Sale in 2018.
As Per usual
The Per Incanto colt, Lot 299 from the draft of Bhima Thoroughbreds, is the brother to G1 Railway S. winner Santa Monica (NZ).
"I just loved that horse. He just looked rock solid. The stallion is very high on our hitlist, he's a stallion that Hong Kong love," Rounsefell said.
Santa Monica (NZ) | Image courtesy of NZ Racing Desk
The Hong Kong International Sale has been impacted somewhat by the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years, with numbers of horses offered reduced to just 22 and 23 in 2020 and 2021.
But with borders re-opening and the success of Sale graduate Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}) in the Listed Hong Kong Derby, Rounsefell expects a strong rebound at this year's Sale, which takes place on July 9.
"That Derby win was fantastic for the Sale and the team changed down here a couple of years ago, so it’s exciting to see our crops come through," Rounsefell said.
