A globetrotting son of Aquis Farm shuttler Holy Roman Emperor (IRE), Rich
Tapestry took his trainer Michael Chang Chun-wai on the trip of a lifetime and his
trainer was planning to repay his best friend by providing him a life of luxury
in retirement in Australia at Aquis Farm.The new Australian quarantine restrictions have made that plan all the more difficult.
"He took me around the world, everywhere," Chang told South China Moring Post.
"Dubai, Japan, Singapore, America and we had lots of fun".
He holds a special place in Hong Kong racing history; Rich Tapestry was the first horse from the jurisdiction to win a Grade One race in America and first to compete at a Breeders' Cup, both achievements also firsts for a Chinese trainer.
"It was like a dream," Chang says of that famous 2014 Santa Anita Sprint victory.
"That's not easy to do, he beat two very good horses that day – he beat Goldencents and Secret Circle, they both won Breeders' Cup races. We shocked them. He always tried so hard this horse, he was so honest."
Instead of enjoying retirement, Rich Tapestry remains at Chang's stables as result of the ban on horse transport directly from Hong Kong to Australia put in place by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR).
Many horses looking to retire out of Hong Kong are being forced to look at New Zealand as an option.
"We at Aquis Farm were thrilled to have Rich Tapestry retiring to
Canungra, especially given that it is the Southern hemisphere home of his sire
and twice HK Champion Stallion Holy Roman Emperor," said CEO Shane McGrath."Rich Tapestry proudly carried the flag for HK racing in an era of globalized racing, he was raced by our good friend Silas Yang Siu-Shun who I got to know through our mutual friend Apollo Ng and was testament to the training prowess of Michael Chang.
"Our close association with the HK racing fraternity had afforded us the opportunity to offer a home on retirement for Rich Tapestry.
"Hopefully common sense will prevail in the whole quarantine issue and a resolution can be found. At Aquis we admire the professionalism and the industry leading standards set by Winifried Engelbrecht-Bresges and his board and we continue to explore ways to strengthen our ties with the region."
