Melbourne Cup-winning trainer David Eustace to join Hong Kong training ranks

David Eustace has said the well-run system, world-class prize-money and top-class facilities were the driving factors behind his decision to leave Australia's training ranks for Hong Kong.

The 32-year-old British-born trainer is the reigning national champion alongside Ciaron Maher, with whom he has worked in partnership since 2018 and celebrated Melbourne Cup success with Gold Trip in 2022, but will leave the post in January to embark on a new chapter of his career.

"It's a big move and one that I'm very excited by," Eustace told the Racing Post on Thursday. "I see it as a great challenge and it's always been in my mind as my uncle [David Oughton] trained there 20 years ago – I watched racing there from a very young age and I remember him having success."

While thankful for the opportunities provided by Maher, Eustace is relishing the opportunity to train solely under his name and joining the 21 trainers licensed by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which include former Australian handlers David Hayes, David Hall, Mark Newnham and Jamie Richards.

David Eustace (left) and Ciaron Maher hold the Melbourne Cup aloft after Gold Trip's successCredit: Vince Caligiuri

"It's a very well-run system and something I'm looking forward to being a part of," he said. "They look after all of the participants extremely well. Having visited Sha Tin a few times it's first-class and the Club members leave no stone unturned to make sure their experience is A1.

"It's very, very transparent and the horses are looked after extremely well with the vets and farriers. The punter also has so much information, hence why the betting turnover is so strong, and having pool betting all under one roof is a great arrangement.

"The prize-money is something every other country in the world other than Japan is probably incredibly jealous of. I'm looking forward to working with a lot of top international jockeys and racing with good-quality horses twice a week at two very fair tracks."

It was revealed the trainer would be licensed for the 2024-25 season when the Jockey Club's committee decisions were announced on Thursday – the approval of a licence extension to next season for superstar sprinter Lucky Sweynesse's trainer Manfred Man was another – and he is already preparing for next autumn.

Sha Tin: David Eustace will start training at the racecourse ahead of the new Hong Kong season in SeptemberCredit: Edward Whitaker

He said: "I'll head to Hong Kong in early January to familiarise myself and the work starts there to try to generate some bloodstock and relationships with owners. I plan to be there in April full-time leading into when the season starts in September.

"You can't go into it half-hearted, you've got to go into it 110 per cent. It will be all guns blazing and trying to break into an extremely competitive environment and that's not something I'm taking lightly at all.

"It won’t be easy and I'm sure I'll make a few mistakes but that's training and racing anywhere in the world, and the fact that I've trained predominantly on racetracks in Australia will stand me in good stead."

'Major changes' needed in British racing

Eustace was bought up in his father James Eustace's yard in Newmarket, where his younger brother Harry now trains, but a return to the homeland is unlikely to be on the cards any time soon.

"Training in Britain would probably not be on my radar," he said. "You never know, I didn't plan to be in Australia for ten years and I have been, so I don't think you can plan too far ahead, but for now my future is in Hong Kong."

While lessons can be learned from other jurisdictions, the trainer believes more meaningful change is needed for British racing to ensure its future on the global stage.

Harry Eustace: the Royal Ascot-winning trainer pictured at Park Lodge in NewmarketCredit: Edward Whitaker

"I think it's a great shame that racing in Britain is struggling," he said. "I think a lot of people would agree that it rivals Japan in the quality of bloodstock and the best horses are still being bred every year in Europe, but unfortunately the prize-money doesn't reflect that.

"There would have to be major changes for that to increase. It's nothing new either, I grew up with prize-money not being strong and it's still the case now. I'm sure things can be learned from other countries but it doesn't seem to be changing any time soon unfortunately."

Read this next:

'I'm proud of myself for not giving up' - new trainer Brian Toomey off the mark at Kempton 

The Front Runner is our unmissable email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, the reigning Racing Writer of the Year, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday. Not a Members' Club Ultimate subscriber? Click here to join today and also receive our Ultimate Daily emails plus our full range of fantastic website and newspaper content.