Sky Darci Leaves Fownes, Moreira ‘Beaming’ After HK Derby

by Alan Carasso

Any time you hand the car keys to Joao Moreira, you have a fair bit of confidence that good things are to come. Still, entering Sunday's HK$24-million BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) at Sha Tin, there were questions aplenty as to whether Sky Darci (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), the race's highest-rated galloper, would see out the trip, having underperformed in the two lead-up events. But, one race after bringing up his 100th winner for the season, the 'Magic Man' put a brilliant steer on the Kiwi-bred and the pair just lasted, as Russian Emperor (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) and Panfield (Chi) (Lookin At Lucky) were zeroing in late.

Only sixth as the favourite to Excellent Proposal (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the Jan. 24 Hong Kong Classic Mile and seventh behind Healthy Happy (Aus) (Zoustar {Aus}) in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) Feb. 21–albeit with imperfect trips–Sky Darci drew two for the Derby to the delight of trainer Caspar Fownes, who admitted his charge would benefit from a low gate. The NZ$160,000 NZB Premier Yearling (Book 1) bounced well and settled in about fifth spot early as Healthy Happy and Silver Express (Aus) (Canford Cliffs {Ire}) put several lengths on the well-backed Shadow Hero (Aus) (Pierro {Aus}) going to the backstretch. Moreira was only too happy to play the hand he'd been dealt and remain glued to the paint, and when the forwardly placed Russian Emperor slid away from the fence and the pace dropped passing midway, Sky Darci immediately seized upon the opportunity to improve, a move that would prove decisive in the end.

Pinching ground on the turn, Sky Darci was on the heels of the leading duo as Silver Express overhauled Healthy Happy nearing the straight. Pulled out around that duo, Sky Darci hit the front with a bit more than a furlong to travel and knuckled down late to become the fourth New Zealand-bred Derby winner in the last six years. Last year's G3 Hampton Court S. hero Russian Emperor proved his Classic Cup effort (at 80-1) was no fluke, just missing as the $4.70 (37-10) choice, while treble Chilean Group 1 winner Panfield hit the line hard for third. Excellent Proposal rallied down the center for fourth.

“I had to angle my way out, but once I got into the straight, I had taken the lead a little bit too early, but I knew I was on the best horse in the race and I had a lot of confidence in the horse,” said Moreira, adding to his victory aboard the late Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) in 2017. “I knew they were coming, they were good horses as well. He's not a specialist 2000-metre horse, in my opinion, but he's got heart and even if they were coming, he was giving his best.”

It was also a second Derby success for Fownes, who saddled Super Satin (NZ) (Danehill Dancer {Ire}) to success in the 2010 renewal.

“It was the longest [last] 200 metres I've ever seen in a race, that's for sure,” the always-accessible Fownes told the HKJC notes team. “It felt like an eternity there and I'm glad he stuck his neck out and got the winning result. All in all, it's a magic day–massive satisfaction. This horse with the owners [the Kwan family], it's magic, they've been incredible people to train for.”

Sky Darci was the only member of the 14-horse field who was untried overseas prior to his import, similar to 2020 winner Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro).

 

WATCH: Sky Darci digs deep to win the BMW Hong Kong Derby

 

Pedigree Notes:

Sky Darci–the third and most successful of his dam's produce to race in Hong Kong–is the 52nd black-type winner for his sire, whose 11 Group 1 winners include D B Pin (NZ), winner in Hong Kong of the Centenary Sprint Cup and twice runner-up in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. Despite his sire's propensity to throw a top sprinter, there is plenty in Sky Darci's pedigree to suggest he could stay the 2000 metres. His half-brother Chocante (NZ) was a Group 3 winner in New Zealand going an extended mile and a quarter and won the G2 Brisbane Cup over 2200 metres while finishing third in the G1 The Metropolitan H. (2400m) in Sydney. Sky Darci's second dam was a daughter of Red Chiffon, who annexed the G3 Canterbury Gold Cup going 2000 metres and was third in the 1988 G1 New Zealand Oaks (2400m).

Sky Darci is the third winner of the Hong Kong Derby in six years to be raised at Highden Park in New Zealand. Sam and Libby Bleakley's operation was also responsible for 2018 Derby hero Ping Hai Star (NZ) (Nom du Jeu {NZ}), who was unsold on a bid of NZ$40,000 when consigned by Highden Park to the 2015 NZBSEL sale. They also had their hands on 2016 Derby winner and future Horse of the Year Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}), as well as Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}), two-time Horse of the Year who was third to Rapper Dragon in 2017 and became a two-time winner of the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile.

Sky Darci is the fourth consecutive Derby winner to go under the hammer at the Karaka sales. In addition to Ping Hai Star, Furore (NZ) (Pierro {Aus}) was sold for NZ$210,000 as a yearling in 2016 and current Hong Kong king of the hill Golden Sixty fetched NZ$300,000 at the auction house's Ready To Run sale in 2017.

The dam of Chocante's gelded 2-year-old full-brother El Vencedor (NZ), Strictly Maternal is represented by a yearling full-brother to Sky Darci and missed to Shocking for 2020 before returning to the same stallion.

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
BMW HONG KONG DERBY 2021-LR, HK$24,000,000 (£2,221,667/€2,593,350/A$3,975,501/US$3,090,927), Sha Tin, 3-21, NH/SH4yo, 2000mT, 2:01.32, gd.
1–SKY DARCI (NZ), 126, g, 4, by Darci Brahma (NZ)
1st Dam: Strictly Maternal (NZ), by O'Reilly (NZ)
2nd Dam: Take Silk (NZ), by Star Way (GB)
3rd Dam: Red Chiffon (Aus), by Sovereign Red (NZ)
1ST STAKES WIN. (NZ$160,000 Ylg '18 NZBJAN). O-Jessica Kwan Mun Hang; B-M W Freeman & D G Price; T-Caspar Fownes; J-Joao Moreira; HK$13,680,000. Lifetime Record: GSP-HK, 12-6-3-0, HK$21,037,965. *1/2 to Chocante (NZ) (Shocking {Aus}), GSW & G1SP-Aus, GSW-NZ, $315,590.
2–Russian Emperor (Ire), 126, c, 4, Galileo (Ire)–Atlantic Jewel (Aus), by Fastnet Rock (Aus). O-Mike Cheung Shun Ching; B-Coolmore, Lauri Macri & Parnters; T-Douglas Whyte; J-Karis Teetan; HK$5,280,000.
3–Panfield (Chi), 126, c, 4, Lookin At Lucky–Esterina (Arg), by Orpen. O-Yue Yun Hing; B-Agricola Taomina Ltda; T-Tony Millard; J-Chad Schofield; HK$2,400,000.
Margins: HD, HF, 1. Odds: 11-2, 37-10F, 25-1.
Also Ran: Excellent Proposal (Aus), Delightful Laos (Ire), Healthy Happy (Aus), Tourbillon Diamond (Aus), Packing Waltham (Fr), Silver Express (Aus), Lucky Express (Aus), Maximus (Ger), Shadow Hero (Aus), Congratulation, Conqueror (Aus).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing.

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Almanzors Draw Accolades Down Under

Breeders and buyers anticipating the upcoming first 2-year-olds by Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) in Europe were provided a boost in recent weeks at the sales in Australia and New Zealand, where the triple Group 1 winner's first Southern Hemisphere yearlings were warmly received. After his three yearlings sold at Magic Millions averaged A$506,666 with a top price of A$800,000, Almanzor went on to be leading first-season sire at Karaka Book 1 with 43 sold for an average of NZ$190,698.

Almanzor, who is based at his birthplace Haras d'Etreham in France, stands Southern Hemisphere time at Cambridge Stud in New Zealand, where he stood for NZ$30,000 last season. Cambridge Chief Executive Officer Henry Plumptre noted that Almanzor's fortunes have been on a rising tide ever since his stud deal was secured, beginning with a nod of approval from one of the greatest stallion masters there has ever been.

“Almanzor is a great physical type,” Plumptre said. “It's very hard to look at him and find fault with his conformation. The first person we put him in front of when he arrived in New Zealand at the back end of 2018 was Sir Patrick Hogan. Patrick looked at him for five or 10 minutes without saying a word, until he said, 'he's absolutely perfect.' He talked about bone below the knee, substance, forearm, shoulder; and the horse has all those attributes.”

After receiving high grades from the man who cultivated the stud careers of the great Sir Tristram and his son Zabeel, Almanzor went on to post promising results with his first European crop at the foal sales in 2019 and again at last year's yearling sales. His 14 first-crop foals sold averaged £84,522/€96,461, while his 53 yearlings sold at auction last year built on that solid foundation with an average of £87,023/€99,323. In the meantime his sire, Wootton Bassett, was continuing to go from strength to strength.

“At the time [that the breeding rights deal was done for Almanzor] Wootton Bassett was a bit of an unknown quantity,” Plumptre recalled. “We were nervous about that, but having been to Normandy to look at the horse and having talked to Nicolas [de Chambure] about Wootton Bassett and what he had coming through–he was very confident that Wootton Bassett would have a good year in France that year and he was subsequently proven right, because he had two or three Group 1 performers. The following year of course he really went to another level and his service fee rose from €6,000 to €20,000, and €20,000 to €40,000. That was a ringing endorsement of Wootton Bassett in Europe, which helped us enormously with Almanzor.”

The Wootton Bassett saga has, of course, continued, with the 13-year-old stallion adding two new Group 1 winners-Wooded (Fr) and Audarya (Fr)-to his roll of honor last year in the wake of his sale to Coolmore, where he stands this year for €100,000. Meanwhile, a select handful of yearlings was sent across the Tasman last month to get the word out early about Almanzor at Magic Millions.

“One of the things that really helped us with Almanzor was that there were three or four yearlings by him that were strategically placed at Magic Millions,” Plumptre said. “That market was very strong this year and he had a huge sale at Magic Millions. We sent one filly and our clients sent three others. Almanzor managed to get an A$800,000 colt that is going to be trained by Danny O'Brien in Melbourne, and we sold our filly for A$380,000, and we had a very good client from the South Island who sold her colt for A$340,000.

“So it was a very good story before we even got to Karaka, and it got people talking. There was a lot of feedback in Australia from Magic Millions about Almanzor, and I think by the time we opened on the first day at Karaka, most of the buying bench-whether it was online or through an agent or trainer–wanted to get their hands on one of them.”

Almanzor's Karaka yearlings were led by a NZ$560,000 colt headed to Chris Waller, and a colt and a filly were each bought for NZ$420,000, by Bruce Perry and The Oaks Stud and trainer Tony Pike. Cambridge and Etreham teamed to buy a filly who is a half-sister to two stakes winners from Curraghmore for NZ$380,000. Cambridge and Etreham also bought three Almanzor yearlings in partnership in the North last year: a colt from Tattersalls who will go into training with Kevin Ryan, as well as a colt and a filly in Deauville who will go to Almanzor's trainer Jean-Claude Rouget. Plumptre said they will likely look to add one more in Australia before the sales season is over.

“I think everyone down there was surprised by how well Almanzor was received,” said Nicolas de Chambure. “With any shuttle stallion, there is always a bit of a fear that the market down there isn't going to understand or respect them. There is always a bit of a mystery there. The reports we were getting were that he was throwing very good types as he had in Europe, and it was just a question of how people down there were going to value them.”

Plumptre confirmed that Almanzor has been throwing his good looks across the board.

“Everyone knows that stallions can be gorgeous and not for whatever reason throw stock at that level,” he said. “We were very lucky that Almanzor's first crop had a high percentage of yearlings and foals that looked like him, had that substance and bone below the knee.”

De Chambure said he thinks a warming to middle-distance sires in the Australian market has also helped Almanzor's cause.

“Talking to people down there, it sounds like there's a bit of a switch in the market where buyers and syndicators and trainers have a bit more time and budget for the later types and horses that look like they'll be 3-year-old milers or 10-furlong horses,” he said. “People realize how much money there is there and sometimes there is less competition than for the early 2-year-old races. I think it's great to see that those stallions can have a great chance and can be popular at the sales as well.”

Plumptre floated the idea that New Zealand could once again establish itself as the key source of middle-distance horses for Australia.

“I applaud the fact that they [Australia] see themselves as the best producers of sprinting horses in the world,” he said. “But 60% of the racing system in Australia is at a mile and above. So there is still a lot of prizemoney available if you have the right horse at a mile, mile and a quarter, mile and a half or two miles. Traditionally the supply chain for those horses was always New Zealand. It would be fair to say that the depth of stallions in New Zealand has dropped in the past 25 years. There is no doubt that stallions like Zabeel and his son Savabeel, and Tavistock, had all been great influences but there were only two or three of them. In the old days in New Zealand in the 1970s and 80s there were a dozen stallions producing these high-class middle-distance horses.

“There was a time too when the attention of the Australian buyer turned to Europe. The exchange rate was very good and there was a thought process that we could go and buy racehorses with a certain Timeform rating and bring them back to Australia and they would perform at that elite level, and it was cheaper to do that and better value because the European stayer was generally seen as better. I've got no problem with that, but I think it's an expensive way of doing it if we can produce the right thing over here in New Zealand.”

Almanzor could quite possibly be the right thing for New Zealand, and Plumptre and de Chambure each credited one another with their role in establishing the young sire to date.

“You can't underestimate the importance of our relationship with Etreham and Nicolas,” said Plumptre. “There is a very strong bond there which we think is fantastic for the Cambridge brand going forward. Nicolas is making a name for himself at a very famous French nursery, and it's so far been an amazing attachment for us. We're racing a couple of Almanzors with Nicolas here in Australia and New Zealand and we're racing a couple Almanzors in Europe. We've got a lot to look forward to.”

“The folks at Cambridge have done a great job marketing this horse and getting breeders to support him,” de Chambure added. “They took a risk with this horse and it's great to see them doing well with him down there. It was a great result for everyone involved to see the Almanzors selling so well.”

The Cambridge Stud/Haras d'Etreham connection will have another shot to continue its good fortune later this year when dual Group 1-winning sprinter Hello Youmzain (Ire) shuttles South after completing his first season at Etreham. Cambridge and Etreham partnered in the autumn of 2019 to purchase Hello Youmzain after he had won the G1 Sprint Cup, and the bay rewarded the gamble to keep him in training at four with a win in the G1 Diamond Jubilee S. at Royal Ascot last year. As was the case with Almanzor and Wootton Bassett, Hello Youmzain's sire Kodiac has reached another stratosphere since that transaction was completed.

“At the time [of the deal] Kodiac was a good stallion, but last year he had a phenomenal year in Europe with his 2- and 3-year-olds, and Hello Youmzain winning the Diamond Jubilee at Ascot,” Plumptre said. “He went to another level as well, which again helps when you're launching a stallion like that. I think there's enough depth in Hello Youmzain's pedigree as well to suggest he will get milers eventually, and as a type he has scope and length which suggests he will get milers. I don't think he's going to be an out-and-out speed horse.”

Plumptre said the interest in Hello Youmzain has been encouraging ahead of the horse's arrival in New Zealand.

“We've got a very good group of people around him, a very good group of breeders supporting the horse,” he said. “The pedigree is very interesting to people here, it's Danehill with a bit of Invincible Spirit in there through his dam. It's all pretty positive stuff; those are the two lines the Australia market wants. Nicolas is very particular about the type of horse he buys into and I have no reason to believe that Hello Youmzain isn't every bit as good a type as Almanzor, and New Zealand breeders are very big on conformation as they're predominantly commercial sellers, so it's important to put a horse in front of him that has that conformation, scope and substance.”

“Our broodmare band at Cambridge is probably 25 to 30% European, so we have some nice pedigrees to cross with him and we have some very good local pedigrees to cross with him,” Plumptre added of Hello Youmzain. “It'll be most enjoyable to see his first foals in a year's time and see what he throws.”

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‘Sixty’ Set to Confirm Status As Hong Kong’s ‘Golden’ Child

History tells us that when one darling of the Hong Kong turf fades into the sunlight, almost invariably–though not to be taken for granted–another one appears.

Fairy King Prawn (Aus) was the marquee Hong Kong galloper at the turn of the century and it wasn’t long after that Silent Witness (Aus) took the jurisdiction by storm, embarking on a 17-race winning streak that included back-to-back runnings of the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in 2003-2004.

A Derby win often paves the path to Hong Kong super-stardom, and such was the case with the likes of Vengeance of Rain (NZ), Viva Pataca (GB) and Ambitious Dragon (NZ), while Hong Kong International Sale grad Good Ba Ba cemented his status as one of the greats with three consecutive victories in the G1 Hong Kong Mile.

Able Friend (Aus) became a fan favorite with his thrilling and irresistible late bursts, Rapper Dragon (Aus) was sadly lost before fully realizing his true greatness and Beauty Generation (NZ) was the undisputed king of the hill through the 2019 season, while Exultant (Ire) has proved an able understudy.

The proverbial baton is set to be passed on again this weekend, as Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d’Oro) looks to stretch his current winning streak to 11 and his lifetime mark to 14 from 15 as the banker of the Longines Hong Kong International Races meeting at Sha Tin Racecourse.

A ‘Gaud’-y Purchase…

A $60,000 Keeneland September acquisition, Gaudeamus won the 2006 G2 Debutante S. for trainer Jim Bolger, but was winless in four starts as a 3-year-old, including the G1 Irish 1000 Guineas and G1 Irish Oaks and was the first horse ever acquired by Sheamus Mills. He bought the filly on behalf of former Moonee Valley chairman Bob Scarborough and his wife Rosemary’s Victoria-based Wood Nook Farm. Gaudeamus arrived in Australia in foal to Pivotal (GB) to Southern Hemisphere time and went on to produce five foals to race for Wood Nook, including Listed Tasmanian Derby third Igitur (Aus) (Helmet {Aus}).

The Scarboroughs offered Gaudeamus in foal to Medaglia d’Oro on a Nov. 4 cover date at the 2015 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. Then 11 years of age, Gaudeamus, whose second dam includes European champions Bosra Sham (Woodman) and her full-brother Hector Protector as well as G1 Poule d’Essai des Poulains hero Shanghai (Procida), was hammered down to Josh Hutchins Bloodstock for A$160,000. The mare produced a Queensland-bred bay colt Oct. 14, 2015, and a year and three months later when offered by the Hutchins family’s Element Park agency at the Magic Millions Gold Coast sale, he fetched A$120,000 from Sam Beatson’s Riversley Park and Ben Foote’s Enigma Farm, both New Zealand-based operations.

“He was a good-moving, athletic yearling with a great head and eye on him and looked like he would grow into a lovely 3-year-old and oozed class,” Beatson recollected.

The colt was sent across the Tasman for the next part of his preparation.

A Fast Start For Riversley Park…

Sam Beatson was always destined for a career that included horses. A descendant of John Beatson, a successful amateur jockey and one of the founding members of the Hawke’s Bay Jockey Club, his grandfather was George Beatson, a similarly successful amateur rider, owner/breeder and racing administrator. Sam Beatson got started in show jumping from an early age, representing his native country in India and Australia, before relocating to Cambridge, where he started a breaking-in and pre-training business. He initially operated as Beatson Stables before going out on his own at Riversley Park in 2015.

The Medaglia d’Oro colt was the second most-expensive of five purchases made by Beatson and Foote at the Gold Coast sale nearly four years ago, and Beatson said the colt, who would ultimately be targeted at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready To Run Sale in the springtime, grew up the right way over the ensuing 10 months.

“He developed along the path that I hoped he would,” said Beatson. “He grew and strengthened and matured into the potential I saw in him early on.”

The Gaudeamus colt made an exceptionally racy impression during his under-tack preview, clocking :10.48 (see below) for 200 metres, a time well above average for the sale.

 

 

“He moved across the ground well with a great galloping action, doing it all in a nice time,” Beatson commented.

Consigned by Riversley Park to the RTR sale–also responsible for 2019 G1 Hong Kong Sprint hero Beat The Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus})–as lot 136 and by the sire of that year’s G1 Golden Slipper hero Vancouver (Aus), the colt was ticketed for Hong Kong after trainer Francis Lui signed the winning ticket at NZ$300,000.

“When I buy horses I try to identify horses that would be suited for Hong Kong, so I was confident that he would perform up there,” Beatson said.

And perform he has.

The Meteoric Rise of Golden Sixty…

Golden Sixty arrived in Hong Kong in October 2018 and his trackwork and trials were such that the betting public sent him away as the $27 (17-10) favorite for a Class 4 over 1200 meters and he obliged with a decisive turn of foot that has since become his trademark (video) en route to a cheeky score Mar. 31, 2019. He would go on to add a pair of wins in Class 3 before a below-par 10th to close the season in July.

He hasn’t lost since. Golden Sixty made the G3 Chinese Club Challenge H. his first success at Pattern level last Jan. 1, then joined the star-crossed Rapper Dragon (Aus) (Street Boss) as the only horses to sweep the 4-Year-Old Classics with a thrilling victory in the BMW Hong Kong Derby over the 2000 meters (video). Put away for the year instead of pressing on to either the G1 QE II Cup or the G1 Champions Mile, he has rattled off three straight this term, all at odds-on, including a facile defeat of Ka Ying Star (GB) (Cityscape {GB}) in the G2 Jockey Club Mile. Vincent Ho has been in the boot for each of his 14 starts.

 

WATCH: Golden Sixty reigns supreme in the Derby

 

Beatson believed from his sales prep that he had a quick horse on his hands. But was he one that could see out a classic trip?

“I knew he had a lot of speed so he would suit running a mile, but I was confident he would make the Derby distance in Hong Kong,” he opined.

Beatson has been around a good horse or two in his career, having had a hand in the careers of horses like G1 Melbourne Cup hero Prince of Penzance (NZ), New Zealand Horse of the Year and six-time Australian Group 1 winner Dundeel (NZ) and Lucia Valentina (NZ), a treble top-level winner. He reckons that Golden Sixty can become the best of that bunch at the weekend.

“It’s fantastic to be associated with Golden Sixty, we always thought he was special and for him to be doing what he is doing on the track just reiterates my thoughts of what a special horse he is,” Beatson said. “I had very high expectations of him, you always dream of selling a horse of his caliber, so I hope he can carry on his great performances. To have bought, prepared and sold a horse that is competing in the Hong Kong international Mile is fantastic. But if he wins, it would be a huge result for Riversley Park.”

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