Champion trainer David Hayes had four impressive Aussie bred winners at Sha Tin on Friday, but none more so than Epaulette gelding Super Wealthy, who won the Group III National Day Cup (1000m), his dam sold this year on Inglis Digital for just $500.
The six year-old gelding won a maiden race at Randwick in Australia in June 2019 as a three year-old before being sold to Hong Kong and was trained there by Douglas Whyte until Hayes took him over earlier this year.
David Hayes plans to target the Group I LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) after Super Wealthy threatened Sha Tin’s 1000m course record with a brilliant three-quarter length win under Alexis Badel in 54.96 seconds, narrowly missing Valiant Dream’s course mark of 54.68s.
Hayes currently leads the trainers’ championship with 12 wins – five clear of Danny Shum – and had a day to remember posting his 500th Hong Kong victory after emphatic wins by exciting trio Nervous Witness, Lord Thunder and Master Montaro, all Aussie bred.
“He ran exceptional time, beating in-form horses (Sky Field and Lucky Patch),” Hayes beamed.
“He’s done it twice in a row now, so I’ve got complete faith with him going into the good races here in Hong Kong. I just like the way he’s relaxing, he’s matured.”
Hayes indicated the Group II Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) on 17 October was Super Wealthy’s likely springboard into the Hong Kong Sprint on 12 December.
“That’s probably a really nice race (Premier Bowl) because he’ll be well in at the handicaps and that will qualify him for the Internationals,” he said.
“I would love to go to the Hong Kong Sprint with him. He’s in-form and can run time.”
Super Wealthy was a $55,000 Inglis Classic ourtchase from the Bhima Thoroughbreds draft for Familia Nominees Pty Ltd / Homann Bloodstock and was then passed in when re-offered at the Inglis Ready 2 Race Sale.
He has the overall record of six wins and three placings from 14 starts.
Bred by South Australian breeder Kerry O’Brien, he is the best of five winners from imported More Than Ready stakes-winner Well Hidden (USA), who has a yearling filly by Hellbent.
Well Hidden has been a troubled breeder and missed again last year. The 18 year-old mare was offered through Inglis Digital in their 2021 August (late) Online Sale where she was bought by Lisa Shephard for $500 (see her sale page here), a cheap price for a stakes-winning daughter of a champion sire that has now produced a stakes-winner!
No doubt all effort will be made to get her back in foal one last time.
Super Wealthy is the 16th stakes-winner for Darley’s Golden Rose winning sire Epaulette, who will continue his stud career in Turkey next year after being on-sold by Darley.
