Two additional races have been added to the racing calendar at Yulong Jockey Club exclusively for New Zealand Bloodstock graduates, highlighting the growing relationship between China and New Zealand.
New Zealand
Bloodstock graduates will this year race for total stakes of 1.1 million yuan
(NZ$242,000) and Bloodstock advisor Alex Teng, who has played a key role in
developing the burgeoning thoroughbred relationship between the two countries,
is pleased with the addition of the two races.
"The first additional race will be on June 1, which is called the Karaka Silver Fern Stakes Challenge," Teng said. "The owners pay the nomination fee, which creates the pool of money for the race.
"This race is limited to two-year-old Karaka graduates and will be run over 1000m. The owners from Yulong buy the horses from Karaka and they support this race.
"We have ten horses nominated for this race and they will compete for 300,000 yuan (NZ$66,000). It will be a big race day for New Zealand horses."
The second race will again be restricted to two-year-old Karaka graduates, but local company Zhongli Group has thrown their support behind the race by offering 100,000 yuan (NZ$22,000) in sponsorship.
"The other race is on July 13 and this is very similar to the Silver Fern Stakes, but there is also sponsorship from a local company called Zhongli Group," Teng said.
"They sponsor 100,000 yuan and the rest of the 320,000 yuan stake money is paid through a nomination fee."
Teng said a lot of praise should go towards the China Horse Owner Alliance (CHOA) who are responsible for the establishment of the two additional races.
"We have an organisation in China called the Chinese Horse Owner Alliance.
"These extra races are organised by this alliance. All the owners are a member of CHOA and there are approximately 60 members.
"This shows great support from the owners alliance to Karaka and New Zealand-bred horses, so we are really grateful for that."
The two races add to Karaka Race Day at Yulong Jockey Club, which consists of two New Zealand Bloodstock races for a total prize pool of 450,000 yuan (NZ$99,000) and Teng believes the increasing prizemoney on offer for Karaka graduates will only increase Chinese support at upcoming sales.
"I am very confident of that," he said. "Last season there was only 300,000 yuan total in prizemoney in Yulong (for Karaka graduates) and the year before that was 50,000 yuan (NZ$11,000).
"All the owners can see that stakes for Karaka graduates is increasing gradually, so I am pretty sure that will bring more buyers for the coming Ready To Run Sale and Yearling Sale next year." – NZ Racing Desk
