Highden Park and Hong Kong racing go hand in hand, with Highden Park’s graduates including dual Horse of the Year Beauty Generation, and Hong Kong Derby winners Sky Darci and Ping Hai Star. They’ve also sold Gr1 Australian Oaks winner Toffee Tongue, Gr3 Frank Packer Plate winner Kinane and several New Zealand group winners.
“Our strength is Hong Kong, and we’ve selected this draft with Hong Kong in mind,” said Libby Bleakley. “The way we produce our horses at Highden Park works with the racing environment in Hong Kong and we are leaning into that strength with this year’s yearlings. It’s a matter of focusing on what we excel at. Hong Kong has proven to be our main stage with Beauty Generation and others. We have so much respect for the people there, the racing, and the product. To be competitive in Hong Kong takes a very good horse and we want as many good horses as possible from our boutique operation.
In 2023, Highden Park will offer a select draft of ten yearlings. “Our colt selections for this year were picked with an eye for Hong Kong, and we specifically bought types we like that were either siblings of horses that have raced well there, or were by sires that have good results in Hong Kong.”
Proisir has had a massive season with three Gr1 winners this spring in New Zealand, and Highden Park will take his first yearling of the season through the ring with Lot 3. This Proisir colt is the second foal of winning Tavistock mare Zanyetta, who won four races and is a full sister to Listed winner Titanium, with both being out of Gr3 Summer Cup winner Zanetta.
First season sire and dual USA Gr1 winner Omaha Beach has a yearling colt, Lot 157, who is the second foal of winning mare Empress Zhao (Swiss Ace), a half-sister to Hong Kong group winner Ho Ho Khan, and a full sister to Australian Listed winner East Asia (Swiss Ace).
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Starspangledbanner colt, Lot 297, is the second foal of a winning High Chaparral mare who is a half-sister to stakes placed winner Peyton Place and is also out of a winning full sister to boom two year-old Amelia’s Dream. This is the only colt being sold in the Southern Hemisphere with the exact same cross as Hong Kong Champion California Spangle, being out of a High Chaparral mare.
Star Turn’s Cordyceps Six is on fire in Hong Kong, and Lot 660 has a pedigree designed for that market, being out of a young winning Testa Rossa half-sister to Gr1 HKJC Champions Mile winner Southern Legend.
Magnus has been a stalwart sire in Australia, consistently leaving good horses, and his colt, Lot 628, is out of winner producing mare Viva Dubai. A winner at two, Viva Dubai boasts six winners from as many to race, and is related to Gr1 winner Grand Delight. “Every single foal on this page is a winner, which is incredible.”
Wellington’s sire All Too Hard has a colt, Lot 809, who is the first foal of winning Savabeel mare I’m Kate, a daughter of Listed winner of eight races, Shandream. Lot 700 is a Shocking colt from a young O’Reilly mare who descends from the Grosvenor family. Shocking over O’Reilly mares has already produced Gr2 winners Chocante and Self Obsession.
“At Highden Park we are very selective with the fillies we bring to market. The sale ring can be a tough place for a filly so we choose to present only those that we believe can compete at an elite level. From limited numbers, our record for producing fillies able to perform at Stakes level is impressive and our three girls this year have all the head turning qualities that high class fillies have; Beautiful walk, bold attitude and a big appetite. We are lucky to be preparing them.”
First season sire Blue Point’s filly, Lot 442, has plenty of residual value as the first foal of four-race winner Pure (Pierro) who is a half-sister to Gr1 winner Flying Artie and stakes placed winner Belflyer, from the family of Better Loosen Up.
Dual Gr1 winner Ace High’s first crop are two year-olds, and his yearling filly, Lot 230, is out of a young Pentire mare who is a full sister to Gr1 Auckland Cup winner Chenille, and a half-sister to group winner Chintz, dam of Gr2 two year-old winner Not An Option. This is also the family of Australian dual Gr1 winner Mo’Unga.
Young emerging sire of Gr1 Lion’s Roar is Contributer, and his filly, Lot 8, is out of a daughter of Gr1 Champagne Stakes winner Euphoria, making this filly’s dam a half-sister to Listed winner Fleet, and to the dam of Gr1 Robert Sangster Stakes winner Secret Agenda.