We make them but they take them: are more of our best horses being sold abroad?
Senior writer Lee Mottershead examines claims that Britain has become a nursery
It is a lament now delivered louder and more frequently. British Flat racing, we are repeatedly told, is becoming a nursery ground for rival racing nations.
Horses who might otherwise have lit up our racecourses are sold instead to Hong Kong, Australia, the US and elsewhere. We make them, they take them. Yet is there any substance to those claims?
Atomic Force was plucked away almost as soon as he became a star. After being prepared by Kevin Ryan to win a Chantilly Group 3 by five lengths, the juvenile was sold by Hambleton Racing to Hong Kong-based owner Siu Pak Kwan. He landed the Prix Robert Papin in his new silks on July 18 and was then off to his new life in the Far East. The next time you see him running will be at Sha Tin in 2022.
Read the full story
Read award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing, with exclusive news, interviews, columns, investigations, stable tours and subscriber-only emails.
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inFeatures
Last updated
- Alastair Down's archives: the great writer recalls Coneygree's glorious victory in the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Kauto Star: the extraordinary talent who became the benchmark for sheer undiluted quality
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- 'The worst day was at the Cheltenham Festival when Ruby Walsh fired in three favourites - we did our bollocks'
- The 25 most exciting jumps horses this season - including the 12-1 shot who could be unstoppable in the King George
- Alastair Down's archives: the great writer recalls Coneygree's glorious victory in the 2015 Cheltenham Gold Cup
- Kauto Star: the extraordinary talent who became the benchmark for sheer undiluted quality
- It’s the number-one complaint from punters – so just why are some struggling to get paid out by bookmakers?
- 'The worst day was at the Cheltenham Festival when Ruby Walsh fired in three favourites - we did our bollocks'
- The 25 most exciting jumps horses this season - including the 12-1 shot who could be unstoppable in the King George