With the 2026 NZB Ready to Run Sale just over a week away, a graduate delivered some well-timed publicity for the world’s leading sale of two-year-olds with his victory in Sunday’s Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1800m) at Sha Tin.
The HK$4.2m race was won in superb come-from-behind style by Speed Dragon (NZ) (Darci Brahma), who was offered by Kiltannon Stables at the 2021 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka but failed to meet his $150,000 reserve.
From 22 appearances in Hong Kong, Speed Dragon has now recorded five wins and four placings and has earned more than HK$13m – the equivalent of around $300,000, which is double his Ready to Run Sale reserve.
Trained by Francis Lui, Speed Dragon had previously been a winner of the Group Three January Cup (1800m) at Happy Valley earlier this year. He had picked up another three placings from five starts in between times, including in the Group Three Centenary Vase (1800m) in February.
That class and consistency was capped with another feature victory on Sunday, in which jockey Jerry Chau was in no hurry in the early stages and settled Speed Dragon in second-last place among a 13-horse field.
Speed Dragon was still near the back at the home turn, but then Chau spotted a gap at the 300-metre mark and put the pedal down.
The seven-year-old Speed Dragon produced an explosive sprint down the straight and charged past Gentlemen Legacy (Showtime) in the shadows of the finish line to win by a neck. Speed Dragon’s blistering finishing burst saw him clock 22.6 seconds for his final 400 metres.
“My first time riding him today,” Chau said. “I trialled him in trackwork and he gave me a very good feeling.
“He’s very mature and he does what he wants and he teaches me how to do it. As you can see in the race, he just led me into the race and he gave me a very good finish. So I’m very proud of him.
“I was very lucky. The race was very smooth for me today and we got the job done.”
Lui is now setting his sights on a January Cup defence in a couple of months’ time.
“I’m very happy,” he said. “I expected it from him, because in his last run at Happy Valley, I think he went too soon. I told Jerry he has to pace him a bit.
“I think the January Cup might be next, but we will see how he goes and then think about his next target.
“I’m very happy to have a winner, the stable will all be very happy.”
Initially named Keenasabean and retained to race in The Oaks Stud’s white and blue colours from Tony Pike’s Cambridge stable, he was a maiden winner at Te Rapa in December 2022 and ran fourth in the Group Two Auckland Guineas (1600m) behind subsequent multiple Group One winners Prowess (NZ) (Proisir) and Waitak (NZ) (Proisir).
The 2026 edition of the Ready to Run Sale will take place at the Karaka Sales Centre from 11am (NZT) on 18 & 19 November.
| Vendor | Kiltannon Stables Ltd |
| Breeding | Darci Brahma – Keenly |
| Sale | Lot 159, 2021 Ready to Run Sale, Psd (Res $150,000) |
| Breeder | The Oaks Stud |
| Owner | Peter Chu Ka Lok |
