The Hong Kong Jockey Club has appointed Michael Kinane and Crispin de Moubray to lead its purchases of young stock from the industry’s top Northern Hemisphere auctions.
The pair represented the Hong Kong Jockey Club at the recent Arqana August Yearling Sale at Deauville, France, where they bought four colts. Each year, the Hong Kong Jockey Club purchases at auction unraced youngsters to be offered at its exclusive Hong Kong International Sale.
Kinane retired from the saddle in 2009 as a world-renowned big-race jockey and 13-time Irish champion, with victories in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Melbourne Cup, Japan Cup, Belmont Stakes and Derby on his illustrious race-riding record. He enjoyed major successes as a rider in Hong Kong, too, notably four wins at the Hong Kong International Races and Viva Pataca’s 2007 QEII Cup victory.
De Moubray, a bloodstock agent for almost 30 years, has been part of the Club’s purchasing team for several years.
The pair’s combined wealth of experience in the industry will ensure that the Club continues to source high quality young stock for its members.
The Club purchased four colts at the recent 2019 Arqana August Yearling Sale in Deauville, France, for a total cost of €745,000 (approximately HK$6.5 million).
The athletic youngsters represent a mix of proven stallions and exciting young sires, including the great Frankel, who won 14 races without defeat and 10 at G1 level.
Lot 18, Frankel’s son out of the speedy juvenile Souvenir Delondres, impressed the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Northern Hemisphere purchasing team of Michael Kinane and Crispin de Moubray, who secured the bay for €400,000. Juddmonte’s outstanding champion has sired eight G1 winners, while his progeny have won races across the globe, including Great Britain, France, Dubai, Japan and Hong Kong, where his son Simply Brilliant is a G3 winner.
Having secured the eye-catching Frankel colt, the hammer fell in the pair’s favour again just six lots later for a €150,000 Muhaarar youngster. The sire was an outstanding European champion sprinter, winning four G1 features across 11 starts. The attractive colt is out of Suissesse, the dam of 2016 G2 Criterium de Maisons-Laffitte (1200m) winner Sans Equivoque.
The Club secured its third youngster on day two, purchasing Lot 127, a bay colt by three-time G1 winner Charm Spirit. The €130,000 buy is a half-brother to the Andre Fabre-trained Wind Chimes, who finished runner up in the 2018 G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp (1600m).
The sale’s final session saw the Club secure Lot 271 for €65,000. The youngster is by Holy Roman Emperor, a proven source of quality in Hong Kong, having sired Horse of the Year Designs On Rome and fellow G1 winners Rich Tapestry and Beauty Only.
Purchase details
Lot 18 b c Frankel ex Souvenir Delondres (Siyouni) - €400,000 (approx. HK$3,491,000)
Lot 25 b c Muhaarar ex Suissesse (Malibu Moon) - €150,000 (approx. HK$1,309,000)
Lot 127 b c Charm Spirit ex Militante (Johannesburg) - €130,000 (approx. HK$1,135,000)
Lot 217 db c Holy Roman Emperor ex Heart Of Ice (Montjeu) - €65,000 (approx.. HK$567,000)
