Rowe On Monday – The race is on for prized HK job, Rolston reflects on Yulong’s rise and what’s next in the Pattern debate

Who replaces Danny Rolston at the HKJC?

Yulong has pulled off two major recruiting coups in the space of a week, signing James Harron as a consultant and luring Danny Rolston from Hong Kong as its head of racing.

What Rolston’s new role entails isn’t 100 per cent clear but with hundreds of yearlings bred by Zhang Yuesheng each year and his thoroughbred empire Yulong buying into many more untried and proven horses, there will be plenty to keep him busy when he starts on August 1.

The question now is, on the back of a successful Hong Kong International Sale – and a recalibration of the Jockey Club-run auction – who replaces Rolston as its executive manager of international sales and owners advisory services?

Rolston joined the Jockey Club in 2022, in effect, at least in part, as the replacement for American Bill Nader, whose extensive Jockey Club position included conducting the International Sale.

By recruiting Rolston, who had spent the previous 18 years with New Zealand Bloodstock, the Jockey Club demonstrated the importance of its International Sale and the need for auction house and bloodstock sales experience in the key leadership role.

Rolston, of course, brought a lot more than that to the table, having also worked in Dubai and North America for Godolphin and had assisted in the Hong Kong breeze-up and sale process prior to joining the Jockey Club.

With that in mind, The Straight has drawn up a list of potential candidates the Jockey Club management team may be keen to talk to.

Although firmly entrenched in his current role, New Zealand Thoroughbred Marketing’s Andrew Birch could be sounded out about his interest in the Hong Kong job and we can understand why, given his long-standing relationships with Asia’s owners and trainers and regular visits to Asia.

New Zealand Bloodstock pair Kane Jones, who took over as the company’s bloodstock sales manager upon Rolston’s move to Hong Kong, and Andrew Buick could also be in line for such a position.

Both lack Rolston’s experience, but are again well connected domestically and internationally, with Jones acting as a bid spotter at the Sha Tin sale on July 3.

This columnist also has Inglis representatives James Price, the company’s Victorian bloodstock manager, and its international business development manager Nicky Wong in the mix for a move to Hong Kong.

The duo are also well known to Hong Kong owners and trainers, with the pair often flying to Hong Kong to cultivate business for Inglis.

Rival Magic Millions also has at least one candidate suitable for the Hong Kong job, with Dane Robinson looming as a target, given he, too, held a position similar to Rolston’s at NZB.

Until recently taking on a broader role, Robinson was bloodstock manager as 2IC to managing director Barry Bowditch at Magic Millions and brings a wealth of experience, having come through the Darley Flying Start program.

South African Justin Vermaak, a bloodstock agent with sales company and racing administration experience, also appears to have the credentials to be considered for a move to Hong Kong. 

He also hails from a country that Hong Kong has resumed procuring yearlings and racing stock from, with the first South African-bred horses sold at the International Sale in many years.

The Straight’s other contender, who may receive a call from the Jockey Club, is UK auction house Tattersalls’ managing director, Matt Prior.

It would potentially take a big offer to prise Prior away from Tattersalls, considering he was only promoted to MD last November after being in the bloodstock department since 2012.

Apologies to any candidates who may not feature here.

Zhang’s New Zealand introduction was via Mr Wolf 

Danny Rolston can’t say exactly what year, but it was in the mid-2010s when he first came across Zhang Yuesheng, his soon-to-be employer.

And the introduction came via another major Chinese investor, Lang Lin, better known as Mr Wolf, who became a big player in the New Zealand industry until he struck major financial problems.

Mr Wolf has since left the thoroughbred industry – not before enjoying Group 1 success via 2015 Caulfield Cup winner Mongolian Khan – while Zhang and Yulong have become an almost indomitable force.

“No one really, at that stage, had any idea of the scope of what Mr Zhang was going to grow Yulong into,” Rolston recalled. 

“I’ve seen it grow from day one. He’s very passionate, he knows horses himself, he knows what he wants, and I just think it’s such an exciting time to be jumping in through this growth phase (of Yulong).”

Mainland Chinese buyers were the biggest investors at the Hong Kong International Sale, with the ownership market identified by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Their increasing interest in thoroughbred racing is set to have a flow-on effect for Australasian bloodstock.

Bigger Pattern shake-up still to come?

The Friday afternoon media release by the Asian Racing Federation detailing changes to Australia’s Pattern races created intense debate – as expected.

Many punters, owners and racing pundits were up in arms about only one downgrade being made while 30 races were either upgraded or awarded black-type status for the first time.

Those changes to the stakes race calendar were made from August to December, but there may be further downgrades to Australian black-type events scheduled from January to July.

In a letter sent by the ARF to Racing Australia last October, it said, among others, that the autumn’s Sydney Cup should lose its Group 1 status while the Group 2 Adelaide Cup, the WATC Derby and Tasmania’s Group 3 Launceston Cup are in the gun for downgrades.

In the lead-up to the July 2 Asian Pattern Committee meeting, whose decisions were ratified by the ARF last week, this publication also reported that Classic races such as the Group 1 Queensland Derby could be downgraded.

The APC meets again in September to consider the final seven months of stakes races for the Australian racing season, and time will tell if the delegates feel the need to treat it with a considerably sharper knife.