Rowe On Monday – Indonesian businessman switches focus, a tale of two sales companies, Upper Bloodstock’s Lau on road to recovery

Indonesian mining magnate steps into Australian bloodstock market

For a time, Indonesian Roy Irawan Djatmiko was hellbent on trying to improve thoroughbred breeding and racing in his home country.

Racing in Indonesia has a low profile and a small investment but Roy was making a difference to the local breed, importing stallions such as Sooboog, Overshare and Fearless.

Sooboog, a son of Snitzel, and I Am Invincible’s Overshare had spent time at stud in NSW and Victoria but failed to make an adequate impression, leaving their owners to on-sell them to Indonesia.

Fearless, a James Harron syndicate-owned Group 1-placed son of Pierata, was also bought by Roy as a stallion prospect for Indonesia where other sires such as Palentino, Wolf Cry, Scorpz, Showtime and Boom Time also reside.

But last week’s Inglis Classic sale signalled a change of direction for Roy’s Djon’s Stable, with the acquisition of a $140,000 Better Than Ready colt and a $150,000 Justify filly who will be raced in Australia by the Indonesian owner.

And it’s Gold Coast-based trainer Peter Robl who will have the honours of preparing the two horses for Roy, a gold mining and shipping businessman who lives in Salatiga, a city in Central Java that has a population of almost 200,000.

“I planned with Nicky Wong (from Inglis) to do this (racing horses) as a hobby in the right place with the right people,” Roy told us from Indonesia.

An Australian thoroughbred auction isn’t unfamiliar territory for Djon’s Stable, either, having sold a Pinatubo filly for $230,000 at last month’s Magic Millions sale to Western Australian owner Justin Warwick.

Sold out of the Vinery Stud draft, the yearling was out of American-bred mare Apologyaccepted, who was purchased for $75,000 by Wong at the Magic Millions Virtual Sale in 2024 when she was in foal to Darley shuttler Pinatubo.

One of 12 broodmares who were owned by Roy, Apologyaccepted was exported to Indonesia last year, after the Pinatubo filly was weaned, forming part of his bloodstock sell-off, with a friend buying the thoroughbred portfolio lock, stock and barrel.

“Every month I spend a lot of money on it and I thought, ‘this has to be stopped. I’m not playing in the right place; I’m playing in the wrong place,” he said.

Indonesia’s cottage racing industry takes place at venues such as Sultan Agung Racecourse in Bantul, Java.

Roy says there is often a race for thoroughbreds on the card, with about A$3000 in prize money, while the rest of the meeting consists of races for horses of other breeds.

Whether Djon’s Stable’s name is seen on the buyers’ sheet at Melbourne Premier is another thing altogether, with Roy potentially waiting for his first two Australian yearlings to go into training before adding to his team.

Hard Kick hits mark on the track

Saturday’s Talindert Stakes winner Hard Kick was a good advertisement for Australia’s two auction houses, Magic Millions and Inglis.

The now gelded son of All Too Hard was initially offered by Macquarie Stud’s David Baxter, a long-time breeder, bookmaker and punter, at the Inglis Australian Weanling Sale, where he was passed in with a $30,000 reserve.

He then found his way to the Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale where bloodstock trader Jimmy Unwala bought him for his weanling reserve price before on-selling him at the Inglis Ready to Race Sale last October to Lindsay Park’s David Hayes for $140,000.

The son of All Too Hard made an effortless start to his career and was into single figures for Saturday’s Blue Diamond until the Hayes stable decided against backing him up in the Group 1 race.

The only losers are the punters who backed him in the Blue Diamond (at 50-1 and more) and perhaps Baxter, who hasn’t been able to get Hard Kick’s dam Friendly Donna, a daughter of Exceed And Excel, in foal since. 

Health scare for Upper Bloodstock’s Lau

Last week’s Inglis Classic sale proceeded without a familiar face around the Riverside Stables complex: Andy Lau, one-half of Upper Bloodstock.

The popular bloodstock investor, who operates Upper Bloodstock with business partner Ross Lao, suffered a serious heart attack more than two weeks ago.

Thankfully, we can report that Lau is on the improve after his health scare, with the Hong Kong-based trader continuing his recovery in hospital.

Upper Bloodstock buys yearlings and two-year-olds primarily to on-sell to the Asian market, with Hong Kong winners over the past month including the Danny Shum-trained Blazing Wind and the Cody Mo-trained Lucky Planet.

Lau and Lao also raced sprinter-miler Angel Capital until he was sold to Yulong last year for more than $4 million.

Yulong subsequently transferred the Harry Angel colt from Clinton McDonald to the stables of Chris Waller.

Hopefully, it won’t be long before the Upper Bloodstock team is back on a sales ground.