China Horse Club’s season of success rolled on with a brace of new group winning colts surfacing in Australia and the United States. Juvenile colt, Tiger of Malay, already one of five individual juvenile colts to win for the Club this season in Australia, became its third group winner when defying all challengers in the AUD1,000,000 G2 BRC Sires Produce Stakes (1400m). The plucky chestnut, who races for the China Horse Club/Newgate Farm syndicate, will be given his chance to join the G1 winning duo Stay Inside (G1 Golden Slipper) and Captivant (G1 Champagne Stakes) when he takes his place in the G1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1600m) in June.
Just 24 hours later the ever-improving Sainthood reiterated his credentials as a rising star when annexing the USD194,000 G3 Pennine Ridge Stakes at Belmont (New York). The event was slated to be Sainthood’s turf debut but continued rains saw the race switched back to the main track and the Todd Pletcher trainee duly delivered.
Like Tiger of Malay, Sainthood will be given his chance at G1 company once again with the USD1,000,000 Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes as his next target. The event is the first leg of a turf triple crown in New York.
2021 has been a heady start for the Club with results driven by a portfolio of crack two and three-year-old colts in both jurisdictions. Adding to the celebrations of the weekend’s haul is that Tiger of Malay is a son of the former China Horse Club raced Extreme Choice, a crack sire among its Australian stallion ranks.
“It was a great win from Tiger of Malay and a great ride from Craig Williams,” said Michael Smith, representative of CHC Australasia.
“Craig got him engaged from the beginning and up into a good spot. Coming into the straight he set him to task and the horse ran on well to win.
“It was a very well-judged ride and I think the horse really appreciated being back on a good surface. He’s gone out to Kolora today for a five day freshen up and will be back in the stable at the end of the week to target the G1 JJ Atkins in a fortnight.”
The post-race synopsis was equally ebullient for Sainthood. Pletcher remains buoyant about his ability and his versatility which provides numerous options in the immediate term and as the season progresses.
“I talked to (WinStar Farm president, CEO, and racing manager) Elliott Walden after the race and felt like the Belmont Derby is probably the logical place to point,” Pletcher told Bloodhorse.com.
“[Sainthood] still has to prove himself on turf but judging by the way he ran on synthetic and the way he breezes on the turf, he should take to it. It’s a big race and we have the option of going back to the dirt down the road, but we’ll focus on the turf for now.”
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