A worldly John Fung has embraced the thoroughbred ambitions of his father Tony, living on the family’s Aquis Farm and working hands-on in the stables in the Gold Coast hinterland.
Fung, 23, is also playing an increasingly important role in Tony Fung Investments (TFI_, the racing arm of the family’s thoroughbred empire, and he was front and centre at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale on Monday.
A boarder at Victoria’s Geelong Grammar before continuing his higher education at America’s University of Southern California, where he studied politics, philosophy and law, Fung was ringside at Riverside Stables when TFI bought a Too Darn Hot colt for $340,000.
TFI partnered with trainers Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott to buy the colt, the first foal out of winner Last Ace, whose pedigree features Magic Millions winner Karuta Queen and Listed winner Eawase.
“He's like a nice, neat, athletic colt and obviously we were very big on the stallion as well,” John Fung told The Straight of the Widden Stud-consigned colt.
“We bought another one at Karaka not too long ago with James Harron and we like what he's putting out there.”
One of the biggest players in the competitive colts fund space in recent years, having raced Golden Slipper winner Farnan, Group 2 winner Prague and fellow stallion Anders, TFI’s alliance with rival James Harron late last year sparked interest about the Fung family’s apparent change in direction.
But John Fung, whose brother Justin has also been heavily involved in Aquis Farm and TFI, says not much has changed with TFI also continuing to operate independently, as this week’s Classic sale buying sheet demonstrates.
TFI bought a Farnan colt on Sunday for $180,000 in conjunction with trainer Michael Freedman, himself an integral figure in the Harron-TFI fillies partnership, a syndicate that is separate from the colts fund.
“We have a lot of respect for him (Harron) and what he does as an agent … and he's a great mind to pick apart when it comes to these horses,” Fung Jnr said.
“He's got so much knowledge and I could really use some of that to build my own CV.”
Part of Fung’s racing education has seen him relocate to the Gold Coast and work at the Hinterland Thoroughbreds pre-training business, mucking out boxes and performing general stable duties before the recent Magic Millions sale.
His dedication to the business is important for the longer-term future of TFI and their stallion station, Aquis Farm.
“Justin and I are very much into our horses. He was here a little while back and he's still kicking around with my dad's business,” John Fung said.
“We're both very passionate when it comes to sports and we just think this is an extension of our interests when it comes to sports.
“There's a lot of similarities when it comes to the two interests, I guess. We've obviously come into horses a little later in our lives.
“We never really grew up with horses, but it’s obviously piqued our interest enough to really ingrain ourselves with the industry.”
TFI and Harron were active on Sunday, paying $160,000 for a colt by Fung’s Golden Slipper winner Farnan from the Alma Vale Thoroughbreds draft, while on the racetrack the TFI silks will be seen in the Group 1 Blue Diamond.
The Gerald Ryan and Sterling Alexiou-trained Snitzel colt Blitzburg, a last-start winner of the Canonbury, will head to Melbourne later this week after galloping the reverse way at Rosehill on Monday morning.
