A Holy Roman Emperor half-brother to Epsom Derby winner Wings Of Eagles set an all-time Hong Kong International Sale record, one of 26 lots put under the hammer at Sha Tin Racecourse on Friday night (16 March).
The British-bred gelding, catalogued as Lot 17 and a son of the G1-placed French mare Ysoldina, was bought by Cheung Kwok Keung for HK$11 million. This was a new peak, eclipsing the previous record of HK$10.5 million set last year. The grey is poised to join the stable of seven-time Champion Trainer John Moore.
The record price for an individual lot was one of a number of strong results across the board. This year’s group sold for an aggregate of HK$135.3 million at an average of HK$5.2 million, both up from the previous year when 29 lots were offered. Both were new records for the event.
Eleven horses reached at least HK$5 million, with Lot 14 – an Australian-bred Not A Single Doubt gelding out of the More Than Ready mare Heaven Beneath – selling for HK$7.2 million. He will be raced by owner Kerm Din, who also bought Lot 14 at the 2016 HKIS – the Shamardal gelding that would soon receive the name Pakistan Star, with career earnings in excess of HK$15 million.
