'We knew we had nice horses' - €1 million Zoustar gelding leads the way at Hong Kong International Sale

An eyecatching chestnut gelding by Zoustar has topped the 2023 Hong Kong International Sale after attracting a bid of HK$8.6 million (£864,000/€1m) on Friday, when 15 lots sold for a total return of HK$71.6m, up from HK$71m in 2022.  

By the same sire as 2021 Hong Kong Classic Cup winner Healthy Happy, Lot 13 went to owner Angela Yeung and was one of two horses sold for more than HK$8m in Sha Tin’s parade ring.

The first was Lot 10, a bay gelding by No Nay Never who went for HK$8.4m to Peter Lau, owner of 2021 Hong Kong International Sale graduate Romantic Warrior, subsequent earner of HK$84.36m in prize money for Lau as a HK$4.8m purchase.

A bay gelding by Tavistock opened the evening’s action with a sale price of HK$6m, while ten of the horses who went through the ring sold for more than HK$4m, including Lot 7, a bay gelding by Invincible Spirit, whose progeny includes Danyah – winner of the 2023 Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan last March.

Angela Yeung also purchased Lot 11, a Written Tycoon gelding out the mare Lady Gracious for HK$5.6m, as well as Lot 3, a bay gelding by I Am Invincible out of Solar Moon for HK$2.6m.  

The sale average rose to HK$4.77m this year, up from HK$4.17m in 2022.

This No Nay Never gelding went for HK$8.4m to Peter LauCredit: Hong Kong Jockey Club

Danny Rolston, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s executive manager, international sale/owners advisory services, said: “We’ve seen a really successful running of the Hong Kong International Sale for 2023. There was a record turnout of permit holders here to join in the event and we really feel like we’ve delivered on the client hospitality.

“We knew we had nice horses so we came into this knowing that the sale would be healthy and we put success of the sales results down to two things – and both relate to confidence.

“Primarily, the confidence in Hong Kong racing is so high, with the continued increased prize-money and the motivation by owners to stay involved and replenish with these nice horses is really high, and secondly the systems we've got in place with the Hong Kong International Sale."

He continued: “We’ve seen a great year with the graduates on the track. Owners are really respecting the processes we’ve put in place, in that we’ve been not only very selective but the processes we put them through with their education but, more importantly, the assessment we’re putting on these horses.

“Even though we’ve had strong results across the board with the sale, we haven’t necessarily really made any profit tonight – it’s about bringing the best horses that we have, the soundest horses that we have and making them available to the owners here tonight and we feel that we've achieved that with the success of the sale today.

Danny Rolston: 'The winning post for us is out on the racecourse and that’s where we really judge our success'Credit: Hong Kong Jockey Club

“This isn’t the end of the road for us. It’s only the halfway point. The winning post for us is out on the racecourse and that’s where we really judge our success.

“The average is just a little over HK$4.7 million, so it is a slight increase on last year which, of course, makes us happy but most important is that we’ve put on a good event here for our owners and supplied them with some really high-quality horses.”

Trainer Caspar Fownes closed out the evening with a HK$4m winning bid for Lot 18, a bay gelding by Acclamation.

The median sale price in 2022 was HK$3.6m, while on Friday evening it reached HK$4.4m.

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