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45.
Arrowfield Breds Shine at Hong Kong Awards
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17/06/2002 |
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Hong Kong racing honours the stars of the racing season, both equine and human, at their annual Champion Awards. The 2002 Champions Awards was held on the 14th June at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong and Australia’s Arrowfield Stud featured in two of the Championship categories.
Arrowfield Stud bred and sold the Champion Sprinter award winner Charming City who is by Chief’s Crown out of Quarantieme (by Bletchingly).
One of over 40 stakes winners bred, raised or sold by Arrowfield since it relocated to Scone, Charming City was purchased by leading Australian Bloodstock Agent Henry Plumtre at the 1998 Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $200,000 for owner Ling Chiu Shing. Trained by David Hayes, Charming City has started 29 times for nine wins and amassed over HK$16 million in prizemoney.
Charming City excelled this season over sprint trips winning two legs of the Champion Sprint Series – a series of three Gr.1 sprints. He put up a career’s best performance in Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint (1200), the final leg of the Champion Sprint Series, which he won by an emphatic five lengths in slick time.
He just missed out making a clean sweep of the Champion Sprint Series with a fast finishing third in the middle leg, the Gr.1 Centenary Sprint (1000m). The winner on that occasion was the Ivan Allen trained Firebolt, a son of Arrowfield Stud’s stallion Flying Spur.
Firebolt ran third to Charming City in the Gr.1 Chairman’s Sprint but bounced back to winning form blitzing his rivals in late May in the HK$3 million Gr.2 Sha Tin Vase over 1000m.
Firebolt impressed the Champion Awards Judging Panel with his brilliance to be voted Runner-Up Champion Sprinter to give Arrowfield connections with both first and second in the Champion Sprint division awards.
Arrowfield Stud was also represented by the Champion Griffin award won by the John Moore trained Able Choice, a son of Arrowfield stallion Dehere.
Several Australian-bred two year olds shone in Griffin races in 2002, however, according to the Champion Awards Judges, none more so than Able Choice who finished the season with a perfect record of three wins from three starts. After two wins in Griffin events, it was his comfortable Juvenile Sprint Trophy (HKGr.1 1200m) success in May that cemented his award.
John Moore, who bought Able Choice at the 2001 Magic Millions Sale for $325,000 plans to embark on a Classic campaign next season in Australia with the son of Dehere.
"Able Choice was the best Griffin in Hong Kong this season. He’s got a lot of potential and hopefully next season he will be in the Guineas (Caulfield Guineas) line-up in Australia," said John Moore.
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