News

Sacred Kingdom wins Fourth Champion Hong Kong Sprinter Title

14th Jul 2011

The revered status of Sacred Kingdom in Hong Kong has been further enhanced with the son of Encosta De Lago being named Champion Sprinter for the fourth time.

In doing so, SACRED KINGDOM ($200,000 2005 Premier, 7g Encosta De Lago-Courtroom Sweetie) surpasses fellow Inglis graduate and Hong Kong idol Silent Witness, who took the prize three times from 2003-04 to 2005-06.

The Ricky Yiu trained superstar notched his seventh career Group 1 success in 2010-11 by winning the Centenary Sprint Cup for the second consecutive year.

Purchased from the draft of Kornong Stud Farm at the 2005 Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, Sacred Kingdom has been a fantastic ambassador for the Australian breeding industry on the world stage since his cosy win on debut back in December 2006.

His 17 wins and eight placing’s have earned him more than $HK45million, proving an amazing result for his owner Mr Sin Kang Yuk, who was at this year’s Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale in search of another superstar.

This accolade comes on the back of another stellar 12 months for Inglis graduates on the international stage.

BLACK CAVIAR (4m Bel Esprit-Helsinge) now holds the position as the World’s Equal Top Rated Horse with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, having gone unbeaten in all 13 career starts to date, the latest six all in Group 1 races.

STARSPANGLEDBANNER (4h Choisir-Gold Anthem) was crowned Champion Australian and European Sprinter after his Golden Jubilee Stakes and July Cup Group 1 double in the UK last year.

IGUGU (3f Galileo-Zarinia) has emerged as the latest superstar of South African racing and looks most likely to be crowned Horse of the Year following her Triple Tiara and Durban July wins.

ULTRA FANTASY (8g Encosta De Lago-Belle Anglaise) joined fellow Inglis graduates Takeover Target and Silent Witness as the winner of the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama, Japan.

SPEED BABY (4g Fastnet Rock-Twisted Heart) heads into this Sunday’s Group 1 Singapore Derby with a last start victory in the main lead-up race, the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl, just three weeks ago.

The next 12 months promises to be an exciting time for a number of these horses as they aim to display their talent to the rest of the world.

Connections of Black Caviar are keen to showcase the mare abroad in 2012, while Igugu's trainer Mike de Kock has indicated Dubai ambitions for Igugu, aiming to follow a number of stablemates, including the UAE Derby winning Inglis graduate Musir.

Photo from HKJC: Mr Stephen Ip (left), Steward of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, presents the trophy to Mr Sin Kang Yuk (middle), Owner of Champion Sprinter Sacred Kingdom, and trainer Ricky Yiu