Sir Owen Glenn toasts to success after Criterion streets a world class field in the G1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney, Australia
At 75 years of age Sir Owen Glenn is burning with ambition to make yet another mark on the international stage. With a broad smile, a champagne in hand and with a China Horse Club badge pinned firmly to his coat breast he is celebrating the latest success with his champion racehorse Criterion. The most masculine stallion has just won the $A4,000,000 G1 Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in Sydney, Australia – the richest 2000m turf race in the world – and Glenn is buoyant and his voice carries the timber of great expectations. His list of previous achievements ensures justifiable reverence from those within earshot.
Sir Owen at the 2013 CECF International Symposium with other IAC personnels
Glenn, one of the China Horse Club’s International Advisory Council Members, is already a leviathan in every respect. With an unwavering dedication to a business vision he became a giant in the logistics industry, creating an empire that spanned America, Europe, China, South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand at a time when few envisioned China and Asia’s potential growth.
The rewards of such dedication allowed him to establish his own charity, the Glenn Family Foundation, which has changed the lives of tens of thousands of people across Asia and New Zealand and which continues to provide education, medical assistance, clean water and a future for those less fortunate.
Now he intends to make his mark a third time through the deeds of Criterion, a racehorse he bred and owns and which is set to stride the world stage having conquered rivals from Australia, Japan and Great Britain in the flagship race of Australia’s newest racing carnival, The Championships.
Mr Barry Weisbord [President and Co-Publisher of the TDN], Mr Teo Ah Khing [Chairman of the China Horse Club] celebrate success with Sir Owen Glenn
Criterion’s latest win lifted his career earnings to almost $A5.7 million (RMB 27.5 million) and elevated his value as a future stallion into eight figures. Should Criterion splash colour onto the canvas Glenn’s words paint then that number will grow even further. But, more importantly for his charismatic owner, the chestnut can inspire others to dream the dream that fuels thoroughbred racing. That any horse, regardless of beginnings or origins, can scale great heights and create life changing moments.
“Criterion is a champion racehorse and that’s what he is going to be for some time. I’m looking forward to going back to Hong Kong with him,” Glenn said smiling.
“If he comes through that well he could go to Royal Ascot for races like the Queen Anne or Prince Of Wales Stakes. We are going to take on the world.”
Glenn’s enthusiasm is infectious.
“It is fantastic to see Sir Owen rewarded so richly like this. He is an example to all, including our members, of just how satisfying racehorse ownership can be,” said Mr Teo Ah Khing, Chairman of the China Horse Club.
Sir Owen Glenn with Mr Teo Ah Khing, Chairman of the China Horse Club
“Horse racing is an aspirational pursuit and the personal rewards are so gratifying. Importantly you can share great moments with family and friends just like Sir Owen has. He has family and long-time friends here to share in a memory that he will never forget.
“Sir Owen has been a successful businessman on the world stage. Now he is a successful racehorse owner on the world stage and he is being applauded for that and rightly so. It is no lie to say that this win will resonate with a lot of people and that kings, queens, sheikhs and leaders of industry that are involved in racing will hear about it and about Sir Owen very soon. That is what horse racing can do. It can win hearts and minds and promote you in ways you never imagined.”
Glenn already has a roadmap in place for his champion racehorse. Hong Kong’s HK20 million (RMB 16 million) Queen Elizabeth II Stakes will be his next start before an expected tilt at the £525,000 (RMB5 million) G1 Prince of Wales’s Stakes, one of the flagship events of the iconic Royal Ascot race meeting in England in June. Should Criterion best Europe’s stars in this contest his passionate owner, already knighted by the Queen for his services to charity, will be presented with a trophy by the world’s most famous royal.
Criterion is not the first star racehorse owned by Glenn but he is clearly the one that most tugs firmly on the New Zealander’s heart strings. Bred by Glenn in New Zealand, the chestnut was retained to race and made an immediate impact in his first season of racing. A stakes winner at two years of age in Australia, the handsome colt made the leap to be the dominant three-year-old of his generation the following season with his success in the G1 Rosehill Guineas and G1 ATC Australian Derby stamping him as exceptional.
Not all star three-year-olds make the leap to being champion older horses but a carefully managed career has seen Criterion do just that. Late last year Glenn’s talismanic thoroughbred showed he was among the best in Australia with a determined second in the G1 Yalumba Stakes before a luckless run in the G1 Cox Plate saw him finish seventh beaten only 1.5 lengths. While some owners may have considered resting their stars after such a run Glenn’s faith in Criterion held firm and it was to Hong Kong that the four-year-old was sent.
The target was not just Hong Kong but the most significant race the Chinese outpost holds, the USD4 million G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m), a race that attracts elite racehorses from across the globe.
Bold front-running tactics saw Glenn’s charge leading until inside the 150m mark having kicked clear of his pursuers as a sea of Chinese and international onlookers cheered on. Against some of the world’s best Criterion was proving his metal and, while claimed late, his third placing was a wonderful tonic for Glenn who had undergone surgery on the day of the race. In the ensuing months the performance also emboldened Glenn and encouraged him to continue to seek new ‘Everests’ for Criterion to conquer.
“Criterion is so important to Sir Owen, every time his name is mentioned he smiles and that is what racehorse ownership can do for you,” said Eden Harrington, General Manager for the China Horse Club.
“Sir Owen wasn’t well late last year but good things happen to good people and Criterion’s performance in Hong Kong was very important to him in many ways. I have no doubt that performance inspired him and that is a great result for everyone because Sir Owen is a man that is making a difference to lives of thousands of people across Asia and in New Zealand through his charitable efforts. He also makes a difference through his efforts with the China Horse Club and for that we are most thankful.”
Sir Owen with the winners of the Sir Owen Glenn Sprint race during the 2013 CECF in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia
At the inaugural China Equine Cultural Festival in 2013, Glenn was an unwavering supporter. A sponsor of one of the four international races, the Sir Owen Glenn Sprint, he also bid firmly and consistently on a series of charitable items for auction that raised money for programs promoted by the Inner Mongolia Agricultural University. One of those items was a Longines watch. It is perhaps fitting that less than two years later he was presented with another such watch by Longines when Criterion dominated the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney, Australia.
Criterion will have his next race start in Hong Kong in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Sunday 26th April. All at the China Horse Club wish him and Criterion every success.