Bright Track Weekly 6 December

Bright Track Weekly In a world where challenges often take centre stage, we bring focus on the positive. Bright Track Weekly highlights a selection of racing and breeding snippets, celebrating the vitality of our great sport. We will sign off from Bright Track following this week's edition, and look forward to resuming in the New Year. Hong Kong International Races Sunday This Sunday at Sha Tin will see the latest edition of the Hong Kong International Races, with four Group 1 races fielding HK$126 million (A$25 million)  in prize money. Group 1 Hong Kong Vase - 2400m The betting here is headed by Australian-based challenger Without a Fight. He was a most encouraging third to Via Sistina in the Group 1 Champions Stakes at Flemington last month after a long break due to a tendon injury. He is of course last year's G1 Caulfield Cup and G1 Melbourne Cup hero, so fingers crossed that he can build on his return and strike for Australia here. Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint - 1200m This race is widely expected to be a coronation for Hong Kong's new star sprinter Ka Ying Rising. He recently broke the long-standing 1200m track record here, and will look to improve again on that mark here. International interest is provided by Australian challenger Recommendation, a pair of Japanese challengers (Lugal and Toshin Macau) and the UK-based recent Breeder's Cup Turf Sprint winner Starlust. Group 1 Hong Kong Mile - 1600m This potentially looks the most open of the four Group 1 races, with Australian challenger Antino right in the mix for trainer Tony Gollan after his electric Group 1 Toorak Handicap win at Caulfield, which he followed up well with a good effort to run second to Mr Brightside in the Group 1 Champions Mile at Flemington. Stiff competition comes from the likes of Japanese contenders Jantar Mantar (lightly raced and highly progressive) and Soul Rush (well proven at this level and ran well here to be fourth last year), while grand local campaigner Voyage Bubble is another entering this race in good recent form. Group 1 Hong Kong Cup - 2000m Like the Sprint, there is another short-priced local favourite here, with Romantic Warrior at cramped odds to win his third consecutive Hong Kong Cup. He is unbeaten since his Group 1 Cox Plate triumph in 2023 and looks hard to beat again here. His main competition looks on paper to be star Japanese mare Liberty Island. While she's been a little below her best in two starts this year, she was a star in 2023 and looks to bounce back here. She has a good Australian connection, as she is by Duramente and out of star Australian filly Yankee Rose. Tattersalls Breeding Stock Sales buoyant Continuing the theme of buoyant sales, the Tattersalls Breeding Stock sales over the past week was the latest to show strong gains, again demonstrating the incredible appetite for top-class bloodstock on a global level. Their December Foal Sales posted an increase of 46% in aggregate up to 43,504,000 guineas (A$90,444,816), with the average up to 52% to 67,660 guineas (A$$140,665). The sale was headed by the 2.5 million paid by Amo Racing for the Frankel x Suelita filly, who is a full-sister to 2000 Guineas winner Chaldean. This equalled the highest-price ever paid for a foal in Europe, a record which was set 27 years ago. The December Mare Sale continued in a similar vein, with turnover up by 20% to 83 million guineas (A$172,557,000). A mark of these huge increases at the Tattersalls sales this year has been extraordinary investment from the Amo Racing team, and this continued through the mare sales, with the top price of 4.8 million guineas paid for Group 1 Irish Oaks winner You Got To Me (by Nathaniel),  pictured above. A Snitzel colt for Winx It has no doubt been an anxious wait for the connections of Winx, and congratulations to them all upon the safe arrival of her Snitzel colt on 25th November, pictured above courtesy of Coolmore Stud. This colt certainly has plenty in his favour, being by Australia's leading stallion, out of a mare by one of the world's top broodmare sires and, of course, being out of an absolute superstar. Fingers crossed he can live up to his illustrious bloodlines on the track. Overpass relishes Perth once more   Last weekend's racing in Australia was highlighted by the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes at Ascot in Perth, and it was again the Sydneysider Overpass who showed his liking for the Wildflower State. He did not get things his own way, with jockey Josh Parr forced to do plenty of work from a wide barrier early, but showed tremendous acceleration in the straight to power clear and hold on well from Maharba. This was, incredibly, Overpass' fourth win in Perth from four starts, this being his second Winterbottom Stakes, adding to his dual wins in the $4 million The Quokka.   Copyright © 2024 James Harron Bloodstock, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: James Harron Bloodstock GPO BOX 4983 SYDNEY, NSW 2001 Australia Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.