Big Night in Asia for NZB Ready to Run Sale

New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale of Two-Year-Olds celebrated six winners in Asia last night with both Hong Kong and Singapore meetings seeing three winners each. 

Karaka graduates won five races on the 11 race card in Singapore last night with Ready to Run graduates City Lad (Elusive City), Drumsara (Pins) and Silveron Warrior (Spartacus) all successful in their races.

Silveron Warrior – Photo courtesy of the STC

Smart three-year-old Silveron Warrior (ex Miss Muga) looked every bit a rising talent for trainer Leslie Khoo taking his third victory from just six starts last night at Kranji in the $55,000 Class 4 Stakes over 1600 metres.

Ridden by jockey Ivaldo Santana, Silveron Warrior settled just off the speed and proved a class above in the straight, conceding six kilograms to his older rivals and racing away to a comfortable one-and-a-quarter length victory.

Last night’s win took Silveron Warrior’s stakes earnings past the $100,000 mark and trainer Leslie Khoo believes the three-year-old will continue to get better with age.

“It’s never easy for the three-year-olds to be giving weight to older horses and win, but this horse was able to do that today,” said Khoo.

“He keeps improving all the time and I am going to continue stepping him up in distance. He’s a handy horse.”

Silveron Warrior is one of a number of up and coming three-year-olds in Singapore that were purchased from New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale. Others include Huka Falls (Align), Super Ninetyseven (Show A Heart) and Super Shadow (Darci Brahma) who have all made good starts to their racing careers.

Racing in Hong Kong last night saw Karaka graduates put in another big showing winning five races on the 10 race card with Ready to Run graduates Flying Keeper (Keeper), Hei Hei Posh (Keeper) and Ultimate Winners (Encosta de Lago) all successful.

The Michael Chang trained Ultimate Winners (ex Lake Alexandrina) was a $190,000 purchase from the 2009 Ready to Run Sale and took his third career victory fresh up in Hong Kong last night in the Class 3 Hoi Ping Handicap, running the 1000 metres in 57 seconds.

Cambridge Stud’s sire Keeper celebrated a winning double in the meeting courtesy of Flying Keeper and Hei Hei Posh and he currently sits in fourth place in Hong Kong’s Sires’ Premiership. Keeper has a draft of 14 horses in the 2012 Ready to Run Sale including:

• Lot 153, a half-brother to current Hong Kong performer and stakes winner Aashiq (Viking Ruler) and a brother to Group 2 placed Finderskeepers.
• Lot 168, the colt from the Zabeel mare Kilfenora, a sister to Group 1 winners Champagne and St Reims.