Talented three-year-olds Unition (Fastnet Rock) and Suffused (Choisir) have been sold and will do their future racing in Hong Kong.
The Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman-trained pair had footed it with the best of New Zealand’s three-year-old crop and were both owned by the China Horse Club.
Unition, a well-bred son of Fastnet Rock and Diademe, was a Listed winner on debut at two and went on to be Group placed on two occasions, while winning Choisir gelding Suffused was Listed placed and finished just 0.7 lengths from Aegon when fifth in the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m).
“They were both high-class three-year-olds that weren’t quite up to the level of being a stallion prospect, so when that happens, we are happy to trade them on and let someone else have some fun with them. They should do well in Hong Kong,” China Horse Club’s Australasian Representative Michael Smith said.
“We have about 10 horses in training in New Zealand and it’s been a great nursery for some of our thoroughbred talent over the years. In addition to Suffused and Unition we’ve also had Grand Bouquet and Providenceprovides making an impact at stakes level this year and of course in the not so distant past New Zealand provided us with Madison County who was Three-Year-Old of the Year and Queen Of Diamonds, who was joint Filly of the Year.
“We have a trio of smart three-year-old fillies to watch out for coming through in Providenceprovides who runs in the Lowland Stakes (Gr.2, 2100m) on Wednesday, Holyhead who will go to the Mufhasa Stakes (Listed, 1300m) this weekend and Oselta who is nearing debut.”
