North Wolf is from the first crop of former champion North Dakota
Saturday’s RMB1,200,000 (USD165,000) China Horse Owners Alliance Derby (1800m) is squarely in the crosshairs of the progressive North Wolf whose involvement in China’s most significant race cannot be understated.
The colt, bred and owned by Inner Mongolia Yitai Desert Star Horse Industries (YTDS), is the product of a long-term plan to import and provide access to the world’s best thoroughbred bloodlines in China so as to upgrade its domestic breeding industry and breed better racehorses locally.
Over the last quarter of a century similar strategies have upgraded industries in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and Uruguay. Continued investment into these regions has elevated and diversified available bloodlines, making them more internationally recognizable and, as a result, more commercial.
YTDS, an alliance between China Horse Club and the Inner Mongolia Yitai Group, has been a leader in this space in China, investing in and imported bloodlines from across Europe, Australasia and the United States for a decade. North Wolf’s sire, champion racehorse North Dakota, was among multiple importations in 2013 and his boom son is among his first crop of runners to date.
North Wolf is the product of a long term plan from YTDS
“North Wolf has been very impressive in a short time but this is his biggest challenge to date,” said Gan Weiwei, YTDS’s spokesperson.
“The successes of North Wolf have a lot of breeders and racehorse owners paying attention to North Dakota and that is an outcome we certainly want. North Dakota is a commercial stallion and accessible to the marketplace. YTDS believes the best is ahead for North Wolf and North Dakota.”
That focus on North Dakota will only intensify should North Wolf protect his undefeated record in this Saturday’s China Horse Owners Alliance Derby at Yulong Racecourse in Shanxi Province.
Like his blue-blooded father, North Wolf is exhibiting a capacity to extend his talents as he is tested over more ground. But if he is to emulate North Dakota and win at an elite level, he will need to reach a new level of performance against some of the best racehorses China has to offer.
North Dakota, a handsome son of breed shaper Galileo, was imported to China from Ireland to contest the inaugural CECF held by China Horse Club and went on to stamp himself as the best staying performer in the mainland.
By the close of his racing career, he had been crowned as China’s best son of the then world’s greatest living stallion in Galileo having completing an historic ‘Triple Crown’ of success on the biggest stage for racing – the 10th National Traditional Games for Ethnic Minorities.
With the eyes of the nation upon him, this history maker confirmed his title as ‘Boss of the North’ at Ordos Yiqi Racecourse having early powered his way past the best of his generation in the G2 CHIA Xilinhaote Cup (2015) and the CEA National Tour Final (2014).
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