What Stallions Can Step Up in Hong Kong?

Tara Madgwick - Friday July 18

The Hong Kong racing season is over for another year, so a look at their sire tables by earnings and winners is always interesting and there is no surprise at the top with now pensioned Deep Field claiming his fourth consecutive champion sire title, but given he is now out of the picture the big question is what sires will replace him?

Leading HK sires by earnings 2024/2025 - source Arion

Deep Field not only took the Champion Sire title, he did it with a personal best posting more winners and prizemoney that he ever has before.

Leading HK Sires by winners 2024/2025 - source Arion

His 27 winners was nearly double that of the next best sire by winners in Starspangledbanner and his seasonal prizemoney total of $111million and change was also light years ahead of the next best sire Shamexpress, whose prizemoney has come largely from one horse Ka Ying Rising.

That said, Windsor Park Stud based Shamexpress has only had five runners this season and four have won, so his progeny will continue to spark interest from Hong Kong buyers.

Toronado (IRE) is a great fit for Hong Kong.

Swettenham Stud’s Toronado (IRE) and Newgate Farm’s Capitalist are the two active sires both standing in Australia this spring that are proving most effective in Hong Kong.

Toronado has lifetime Hong Kong stats of 27 winners from 49 starters with his progeny proving versatile and including sprinters like Group I winner Victor the Winner, Group winning sprinter miler Helios Express and Group winning stayer Senor Toba.

Capitalist has lifetime HK stats of 17 winners from 37 starters with stakes-placed Sunlight Power his best to date although he lacks the versatility of Toronado with few of his progeny excelling at 1600m or further.

Advertisement

Given that the stallion syndicates are not targeting colts by these sires it does open the door for the best of them to go to Hong Kong as happened with Deep Field in the latter years of his stud career.

The list below of top sellers for Toronado this year clearly demonstrates that the cream of his crop is on it’s way to Hong Kong.

Star turn stands at a fee of $!6,500, click for more info.

Looking outside of the obvious in Toronado and Capitalist, one stallion that has really come right on to the radar for Hong Kong is Vinery Stud’s Star Turn.

This season Star Turn has had six winners in Hong Kong from 11 starters and his lifetime stats for the region are 10 winners from 15 starters headed by Group winning sprinter Cordyceps Six.

The list below of the top sellers for Star Turn this year highlights his popularity for Hong Kong with leading trainer Ricky Yiu purchasing three of his top four, while the others have all been bought with HK in mind (in some cases via breeze up).

Advertisment
More Reading...
Pride of Jenni Too Good for Treasurethe Moment in G2 Feehan
Pride of Jenni might be an eight year-old mare that is drawing ever closer to the end of her glorious career, but there was a sparkle in her eye before the Group II MVRC Feehan Stakes (1600m) and it was the Jenni of old that ran her rivals ragged at Moonee Valley on Friday night.
Ardrossan Filly Wins First Kiwi Juvenile Race of New Season
Otaki horseman Johno Benner has a good association with the Karaka Millions, and he could have another serious contender on his hands for January’s showpiece.
Golden Rose Colts – Sires of the Future
The $1million Group I ATC Golden Rose (1400m) this Saturday offers the winner far more than prizemoney and assuming it’s a colt he is given a golden ticket to a commercial stud career, so let’s take a look at this year’s contenders, who would you want on your stallion roster in 2026?
La Dorada Chasing Redemption at Valley
Last season’s champion NZ two-year-old La Dorada will be out to prove her ability against her Australian counterparts on Friday night when she contests the Gr.3 Scarborough Stakes (1200m) at The Valley.
Horse Trading Stock Issues to Avoid
One of the key areas in thoroughbred taxation is accounting for trading stock and ensuring the tax closing value is properly ascertained. You’d be quite surprised of the enormous difference to the tax position of any racing player where trading stock problems occur.
Golden Rose Sires Where Are They Now?
Since the $1million Golden Rose was elevated to Group I status in 2009 it has been won in every single year bar one by a colt with the lone gelding to succeed being Manawanui in 2011 and winning this race is a passport to a commercial stud career, so we thought we’d take a look at the fortunes of the past winners who have gone to stud in Australia.
Manhattan Rain Gold Rush in WA
Geisel Park won’t be the only WA breeder on board when the first locally-conceived 2yo crop of its Group 1 sire Manhattan Rain get mobile this season.
Sires With Winners - Thursday September 25
Here is the full list of 28 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
€1.9million Sale-Topping Colt Wins G3 Somerville Stakes
The Group III Somerville Stakes (7f) was run at Newmarket overnight with the Godolphin blue carried by exciting Night of Thunder colt Distant Storm, who they purchased for a sale-topping €1.9million at the Arqana May Breeze Up Sale earlier this year.
One to Watch – Hawkesbury
Richard Johnston has bred some very good horses under his Bylong Park banner including triple Group I winner Think It Over and an Anders three year-old he bred and races was an eye-catching debut winner at Hawkesbury on Thursday.