Today sees the conclusion of a remarkable season in Hong Kong for New Zealand thoroughbreds, having out-performed all other nations represented in terms of number of winners, strike rate of winners to runners and prizemoney won, reports Breednet.com.au. It says: New Zealand-bred horses are also the highest represented of any country in the recently released Hong Kong Champion Awards nominees, with five individuals up for six different awards.Nominated for two awards, the Champion Stayer and Cham
Today sees the conclusion of a remarkable season in Hong Kong for New Zealand thoroughbreds, having out-performed all other nations represented in terms of number of winners, strike rate of winners to runners and prizemoney won, reports Breednet.com.au.
It says: New Zealand-bred horses are also the highest represented of any country in the recently released Hong Kong Champion Awards nominees, with five individuals up for six different awards.
Nominated for two awards, the Champion Stayer and Champion Middle-Distance titles, is the Danny Shum-trained Thumbs Up (Shinko King x Regelle by Exploding Prospect). Footing it against Hong Kong's best, he's had eight starts in Hong Kong to win on two occasions and place on four.
Heading those nominated for the Most Improved Horse title is John Moore's 2006 South Island Sale graduate More Bountiful.
More Bountiful's rating increased 72 points to 124 since the start of the season including five wins in a row before going down by the smallest of margins to Thumbs Up in the Hong Kong Mile. He subsequently took out the HK-2 HKJC Chairman's Trophy and in doing so beat NZ-bred, Fellowship, and Viva Pataca.
Queensland Bloodstock agent John Foote secured More Bountiful for NZ$38,000 from Little Avondale Stud.
It will be the third year in a row a New Zealand horse has won the Most Improved title, with Sight Winner the victor last season and Armada (Towkay) the season before.