Larneuk Stud in Victoria is home to value sire Wandjina, whose talented son Galaxy Patch staked his claim for glory on Hong Kong International Day next month when scoring a thrilling win for James McDonald in the Group II BOCHK Private Wealth Jockey Club Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Trained by Pierre Ng, Galaxy Patch was third in this race last year behind Voyage Bubble and then ran seventh to him in the Group I HK International Mile, but this year appears to be going better again.
Given a magic ride by J-Mac, Galaxy Patch surged straight up the fence to burst through and win by half a length over Capitalist gelding Sunlight Power with race favourite My Wish in fourth place.
The race was run in the slick time of 1m 32.88s – the best of Galaxy Patch’s career and Ng revealed the addition of blinkers was a telling factor.
“Obviously, with the gear change, with the blinkers, he finished stronger to the line, but still a little bit of improvement has to be made,” Ng said.
“We waited for very long (for this win). This preparation has gone really well. Last month’s (race) was a bit unlucky with the run – he ran sixth. And today, luckily, it opened up well for him.”
Adding further merit to the win, McDonald reported Galaxy Patch overcame interference in running.
“He did really well. He got a bit of a check at the 800 (metre mark), and he regathered himself and came with a good surge,” McDonald said. “A nice confidence-boosting win heading into December and we’ll see how we go.”
The result makes the HK$36 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) an intriguing affair with My Wish seeking to turn the tables and the prospect of some smart overseas challengers, such as The Lion In Winter and Soul Rush, adding to the intrigue.
Ng revealed that McDonald is engaged to ride Galaxy Patch again for his grand final and said he had pursued the champion jockey to take the ride.
“We waited for long for him (James McDonald) – he was busy last season with Voyage Bubble. So this season we waited for him. It was the first time he rode him in a race, he won it. We’re looking forward to the next one,” he said.
Galaxy Patch was a $50,000 Magic Millions Adelaide purchase for Will Clarken/Suman Hedge Bloodstock (FBAA)/David Jolly from the Summerset Park Stud and won his debut in Adelaide before his sale to Hong Kong. He now has the overall record of 10 wins from 23 starts.
Bred and sold by Summerset Park, Galaxy Patch is a half-brother to stakes-placed Comearoundsundown and Creativity being the best of eight winners from unraced More Than Ready (USA) mare Voltara, who died last year.
Galaxy Patch is one of seven stakes-winners for Wandjina, who stands at Larneuk Stud this spring at a fee of $6,600.
Footnote: Breednet Family Search identified a close relation to Galaxy Patch in the 2026 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale with Sullivan Bloodstock to offer a colt that has HK written all over it!
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