Progeny of Highview-based stallion Wrote bookended the card on LONGINES International Jockeys Championship (IJC) night at Happy Valley on Wednesday.
Chill Chibi was successful in the Class 2 Japan Handicap (1800m) while The Azure broke maiden ranks in the Australia Handicap (1650m), and became his sire’s sixth winner from six runners in Hong Kong.
“He has a 100-percent record in Hong Kong which is quite remarkable,” Highview’s Brent Gillovic said. “All six winners have been bred at Highview and they carry our BM brand.”
Five-year-old gelding Chill Chibi is Wrote’s top performer in Hong Kong with six wins including two at Class 2 Level.
“Class 2 racing in Hong Kong is the equivalent of stakes or group level here in New Zealand,” Gillovic said. “Class 1 is the elite level and he looks to be headed in that direction.”
As a four-year-old Chill Chibi won four races in a row and finished an unlucky fourth in the Hong Kong Derby completing the 2000m feature race in 2:00.34.
Chill Chibi was ridden to victory on Wednesday by World Champion jockey James McDonald, who represented New Zealand in the IJC, which made the win all the more special for Gillovic.
“It was great to see James win on him,” he said. “I won a lot of trials with James onboard early in his career and his then weight of 45 kg was rather tasty, resulting in the sale of a lot of those winners to Asia.”
Chill Chibi was bred by the Hong Kong Breeders Club, whose breeding operation is based at Highview.
“Hong Kong Breeders Club chairperson Nicola Chu was a founding partner in the acquisition of Wrote who and they’ve enjoyed a great run of success over the last 12 months as a result,” Gillovic said.
Fast Network, a winner of three of four starts, is another exciting prospect for Wrote in Hong Kong who has also reached Class 2 level.
“His starts have all been over 1000m and he should be unbeaten as he was an unlucky third two starts ago,” Gillovic said.
“He was unreal in his last start at Sha Tin displaying gigabyte speed, he stopped the clock at 55.83 and won easily by over four lengths, he actually ran nearly a second faster than the second place getter.”
Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (1600m) winner, Wrote is a son of High Chaparral from the family of Sadler’s Wells, Nureyev and Fairy King who carries a double up to Blue Hen mare Special.
He has produced a total of 97 winners including Group One winner Pulchritudinous, Group winners Wrote To Arataki and Best Seller, stakes winner Ready About it and stakes performers Imprevu, Love Letter and High Providence.
Wrote is represented by two lots in Book 1 of Karaka 2025 and eight lots in Book 2.
“He enjoyed a very good sale in Book 2 at Karaka last year and we have a good line of yearlings by him for sale this year too,” Gillovic said.
“He’s virtually completed the breeding season and he covered a full book of approximately 100 mares with excellent fertility.”
