Johannes Vermeer
The China Horse Club saluted its eleventh G1 winner overnight and a highly unique one when Johannes Vermeer showed the required grit to hold off a determined challenge to win the €250,000 G1 Criterium International (1400m) in France overnight.
In posting his most notable win to date, Johannes Vermeer became the first G1 winner from the China Horse Club’s fledgling breeding operations. The high class colt was bred in partnership with Coolmore under the Desert Star Phoenix banner in Ireland before being sold for €300,000 at Goffs in Ireland and being raced in a partnership that includes the China Horse Club. Johannes Vermeer is from the first batch of racehorses bred by the club and is now a valuable stallion prospect.
“Johannes Vermeer closes out his juvenile season as a G1 winner, G1 placegetter and G3 winner. He is a wonderful asset for our racing program and for our breeding program,” said Michael Wallace, Head of Bloodstock and Racing for the China Horse Club.
“When we began our breeding program in Ireland with Coolmore we certainly hoped to generate positive results but to have a G1 winner and stallion prospect from the first crop is beyond expectations. Breeding elite racehorses is immensely challenging. We pay immense credit to Coolmore who has been a wonderful partner and guide through this exercise. Hopefully Johannes Vermeer can build upon his record in 2016 and hopefully our breeding operation can continue generating rewarding results like this.”
Johannes Vermeer (when a yearling)
The win of Johannes Vermeer significantly elevates his immediate value as well as that of his dam Inca Princess who remains part-owned by Desert Star Phoenix. The son of world champion sire Galileo has increased his value at least 10 fold and has the opportunity to build further upon that conservative valuation in 2016 when he will be prepared for some of Europe’s feature three-year-old classics.
His dam, Inca Princess, has also seen her value move to a stratospheric level. A young modestly performed daughter of a G2 winning mare, Inca Princess was modestly valued until the arrival of Johannes Vermeer. That valuation has increased more than 2000% as Johannes Vermeer has continued to build upon his record and, like her talented son, has the opportunity to build even further.
“With any result like this it is important to remember that not only has Johannes Vermeer’s commercial valuation increased but so has that of his dam Inca Princess, the foal she is carrying and any future foals she delivers. All of these foals will be a relation to a G1 winner now,” added Wallace.
“Inca Princess is currently carrying a full-brother or full-sister to Johannes Vermeer and the Criterium International win ensures this unborn foal is now a very valuable prospect.”
The China Horse Club currently has breeding programs in Ireland, Australia and the United States. Aside from the emergence of Johannes Vermeer, it has already sold a yearling from its first crop of runners in Australia for more than one million Australian dollars and owns in elite broodmares in each of these regions.
If you would like to learn more about the China Horse Club exclusive membership offer, please contact Mr. Eden Harrington or Ms. Fu Peipei. We look forward to hearing from you.
Mr. Eden HARRINGTON eden@chinahorseclub.com (Hp no : +65 93769968)
Ms. FU Peipei peipei@chinahorseclub.com (Hp no : +86 18600929029)