Brilliant Flemington debut winner Southerly Wind will do his future racing in Hong Kong after a deal negotiated by Dave Mee of Pinhook Bloodstock (FBAA).

Southerly Wind (2c Zoffany – Folichonne by Denon) landed a plunge with a front-running, three-length victory in the Eugene Gorman Hcp (1100m) on June 11.  In confirming the successful purchase on behalf of Hong Kong clients, Mee said that the quality of the youngster’s victory was one of a number of key factors that made the sale possible.

“We are delighted to secure Southerly Wind as he produced some impressive sectionals against a decent field down the straight at Flemington,” Mee explained.  “Recently revised import criteria implemented by the HKJC has changed the landscape in terms of the quality of horse qualified for export to Hong Kong but Southerly Wind fitted the bill perfectly.

“The benchmark for all raced horses these days is a minimum rating of HK70.  This, broadly speaking, equates to a horse of at least Sydney or Melbourne midweek metropolitan ability or better.  Beforehand, the previous standard was any horse becoming eligible after they had won a $17,500 provincial event or better.

“The change resulted in a period of adjustment for both buyers and sellers alike.  And the long and the short of it all is that there are now fewer horses that meet the criteria, making nice horses harder to find and increasingly more difficult to buy.

“Naturally, we think Southerly Wind has an exciting future and look forward to him going on to bigger and better things up in Hong Kong.”

Trainer Mick Kent, who also part-owned the colt, was flooded with offers after Flemington.  “We think he’s a stakes horse and weren’t trying to sell.  But it was a lot of money and we couldn’t say no.

Mee’s involvement in the sale of Southerly Wind to Hong Kong follows closely on the heels of a busy buying period for Pinhook Bloodstock (FBAA) at the recent weanling sales conducted in Sydney, Melbourne and on the Gold Coast.

He secured over a dozen youngsters for his clients by stallions the calibre of Snitzel, Harbour Watch (Ire), Unencumbered, Starcraft (NZ), Uncle Mo (USA), Poet’s Voice (GB), Foxwedge, Falvelon, Moshe and Mahisara.

SOUTHERLY WIND