Yulong coup – Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Rolston appointed as Zhang’s head of racing

Respected thoroughbred industry identity Danny Rolston will leave the Hong Kong Jockey Club after four years to join racing and breeding behemoth Yulong.

Rolston, who ends his time in Asia after staging a highly successful Hong Kong International Sale last week, has been lured back by the opportunity to work as Zhang Yuesheng’s head of racing.

The newly created, all-encompassing position will have Rolston overseeing the management, strategy, and development of Yulong’s global racing operation.

Rolston, who finished up with the Jockey Club on Sunday, will relocate to Victoria and be based out of Yulong’s Nagambie property. He will start the new role on August 1.

“It has been in the works for a while, and I’ve had a pretty good relationship with Mr Zhang for quite a number of years,” Rolston told The Straight from Hong Kong on Thursday.

“I’ve never obviously worked for him, but I’ve always felt that we’ve had a pretty good relationship and the timing was good for me to start looking to get back home.

“My kids (Jake and Adam) have both moved home to New Zealand to live, so it was just my wife (Sharon) and I, and she was increasingly being away more often.

“We love Hong Kong, and I’ve learnt a boatload at the Jockey Club, but it just was starting to feel like time was coming, so the opportunity … (has) worked out really nicely.”

The recruitment of Rolston, who is the Jockey Club’s executive manager of international sales and owners advisory services, is the second major appointment made by Yulong in the space of a week.

Prominent bloodstock agent James Harron has also joined Yulong on a consultancy basis as the global operation manages its expansion into the Hunter Valley via the purchase of Segenhoe Stud.

Rolston brings extensive international experience to his role, having previously worked for Godolphin in North America and the United Arab Emirates, and spending 18 years at New Zealand Bloodstock before his move to Hong Kong.

“Danny’s industry knowledge, strategic mindset and extensive network will be invaluable assets as we continue to grow,” Yulong general manager Jun Zhang said. 

“Combined with his proven leadership credentials, he is a fantastic addition to our team.

“We look forward to the significant contribution he will make as we build on our success and continue striving for excellence on the track.” 

Rolston has admired the impact Yulong has had on the thoroughbred industry over the past decade and has been excited by the prospect of joining the team.

But the exact scope of the role won’t be completely apparent to Rolston until he meets officially with Mr Zhang, Jun Zhang, Harron and Yulong chief operating officer Sam Fairgray.

“I’ve still got a lot to discover with the role once I get my feet under the desk. I’m five minutes away from having just clocked out of the Jockey Club, so it’s been full on with (the International Sale), and I’m now ready to get my head around the racing team,” he said.

Rolston reiterated his appreciation to the Jockey Club for the experiences it provided him and he was glad to leave after a reinvigorated International Sale, with the results leaving he feeling gratified.

“There’s a lot of factors that come into play in that sale that are in your control and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control; sometimes those that are out of your control can be the difference between a break-even and a significant loss, and we just had a really good run this year,” Rolston said.

“The graduates out of the sale have been winning a lot of races, and just the general appetite for horse ownership here is so strong again, and that’s especially satisfying to be leaving off the back of that. I can’t deny that.”

Yulong has a broodmare portfolio of more than 600 in Australia alone alongside a huge racing team.

In Europe, there is the Yulong-affiliated Ace Stud, the UK-based breeding operation run by Zhang’s daughter Yuefang Zhang and her husband Harris Li. The racing arm of Ace Stud is known as Forz Europe.