Zhang does Private Harry deal, Field to work with small breeders, Easter on internationals’ radar and NZ stallion stats

Rowe On Monday is sponsored by Arrowfield

In this week’s Rowe On Monday, Tim Rowe delves into the Private Harry deal, checks in with Newgate Farm’s Henry Field, learns about the overseas contingent for the Easter sale, and explores some New Zealand numbers.

Zhang front and centre in Private Harry stallion deal

Yulong supremo Zhang Yuesheng, the Chinese coal billionaire whose thoroughbred empire seemingly has no end, led negotiations to buy a half-share in unbeaten Group 1-winning colt Private Harry.

Revelations that it was Zhang himself who conducted talks with Kurrinda Bloodstock’s Sean Driver, the managing owner of Private Harry, comes in the wake of Yulong general manager Vin Cox resigning last Thursday citing “differences in opinion on strategic direction and values”.

The well-respected Cox had been in the job for 16 months after crossing from Godolphin.

It was confirmed on Saturday by both parties, Kurrinda Bloodstock and Yulong, that Zhang had purchased a 50 per cent share in the last-start Galaxy winner and that the untapped colt will also run in the slot owned by the mining magnate.

Under the terms of the agreement, Driver remains managing owner and Nathan Doyle will continue to be the colt’s trainer.

Ash Morgan, who has ridden the son of Harry Angel in all five starts, will also retain the ride on Private Harry including in The Everest.

Zhang recently bought Angel Capital, another colt by Harry Angel, outright and transferred the three-year-old into the stable of Chris Waller, who prepares a host of horses for Yulong such as Cox Plate heroine Via Sistina, the winner of seven Group 1s since being imported to Australia.

Driver said there was “no stress” involved with negotiations as the Kurrinda Bloodstock principal dealt with multiple offers to buy into the three-year-old.

“(I was dealing) directly with the boss. Mr Zhang’s been great,” Driver told this column.

“Between him and his interpreter, it was all very smooth sailing.”

Driver confirmed on Monday, after consultation with Doyle and Yulong, that Private Harry will not run in the TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick on Saturday and instead head to the paddock for a spell with all roads leading to The Everest.

The Kurrinda Bloodstock owner is also unperturbed by a potential clash in The Everest between Private Harry and Hong Kong superstar Ka Ying Rising, the Kiwi-bred labelled by many pundits as the world’s best sprinter.

“If he wins the Everest, he’s probably worth $40 million, so that’s our goal,” Driver says.

“If he can keep his record undefeated, and it’s not so much just winning, it’s about the races (he does win) where his value comes in.

“If the best sprinter in the world on paper comes over, Ka Ying Rising, it’ll also be who he beats. That’s where the valuation will come into it.

“So, look, people think he’s the best sprinter in the world. I personally think he’s beating up on B-graders over there. Let’s see what he can do over here.”

Trainer David Hayes’ Ka Ying Rising made it 11 wins in succession with another effortless victory at Sha Tin on Sunday, taking his overall record to 12 wins from 14 starts.

And corporate bookmakers have the son of Shamexpress, who was initially with trainer Fraser Auret in New Zealand before being bought by clients of Hayes, as short as $2.50 favourite, while Private Harry is second elect at $7 in all-in markets for $20 million The Everest on Octobet 18.

‘We’ve got a responsibility to work with small breeders’

Newgate Farm principal Henry Field, in releasing the Hunter Valley service fees for the stud’s 2025 stallion roster, believes it is incumbent on commercial operations to keep as many small breeders in the game as possible.

As Australasia’s commercial breeders hit the ground at Inglis’ Sydney sales complex ahead of next week’s premium Australian Easter Yearling Sale, Field’s comments will no doubt be in line with his industry peers in advocating for the hobbyists and boutique breeders’ continued involvement in the industry.

“I feel that right now, people who are breeding and getting the majority of their yearlings into the premier sales, such as Magic Millions, (Melbourne) Premier and Easter, they’re doing well,” Field offered to The Straight.

“Certainly, the commercial market, I think, is in really healthy shape. But I think for small breeders it’s been a challenging period.

“And I think that we as a stallion farm have got a responsibility to work as hard as we can with the small breeders to give them every chance to be profitable.”

Newgate’s roster of 16 – headed by $330,000 stallion Extreme Choice – covers all spectrums of the market and it is the lower end fee-wise where Field says his nursery, the leading stud by market share last year, will attempt to help their clients as much as possible.

That is from the $11,000 (inc GST) sires such as Tiger Of Malay and Profiteer, to Wild Ruler at $27,500 through to Capitalist ($44,000) and Extreme Choice at the top of the tree.

“If you look at our stallions that are standing in the higher (fee) brackets, I think people that are breeding to those horses are certainly well positioned,” he said.

“I think people that are breeding in that sort of echelon of the marketplace have had a pretty good year.”

Field continued: “We’re going to work hard with the small breeders to really make them (stallions in the $11,000 to $27,500 range) attractive and work out structures and programs to really help the small breeders out there for many of those stallions.”

Bourbon and Hollywood coming to Easter

Resolute Racing’s John Stewart may not be at next week’s Easter Yearling Sale, but Inglis is promising that an extensive international buying bench will be in operation at Riverside Stables for its blue riband auction.

The American made global headlines at last year’s Easter sale by underbidding Winx’s $10 million daughter by Pierro as well as splashing $5.44 million on six yearlings under his Resolute Racing banner.

But again other commitments have prevented Stewart from making the trip to Sydney to attend the sale in person, but other international buyers are making the long journey or will be active via conduits.

They include New Zealand-based South African agent Craig Ramsay and the Bourbon Lane duo of Americans Jamie Hill and Mike McMahon.

“Craig Ramsay will be here representing Mr Owen Heffer from Hollywoodbets in South Africa (and) the Bourbon Lane Street team from America will be here,” Inglis’ Brett Gilding told the Straight Talk podcast.

“The usual agents we get from the UK (will be here) and there’ll be good representation here from Hong Kong as well.

“We’re very, very pleased with the buying bench we’ve established so far, but I think what people need to keep in the back of their minds is, like last year at Easter, we sold close to 150 horses for under $250,000 and 100 horses made under $200,000.”

Craig Ramsey — *New Zealand-based South African bloodstock agent Craig Ramsay. (Photo: Ange Bridson)*

Bourbon Lane has enjoyed extensive success racing horses in New Zealand with trainer Stephen Marsh, mostly sourced from the local New Zealand Bloodstock sales, but Hill and McMahon’s visit to last year’s Easter sale has already reaped rewards.

Their two-year-old Capitalist filly To Cap It All, trained by Marsh who bought her alongside agent Dylan Johnson from the Ridgmont Farm draft at Riverside in 2024, is already a stakes winner from just three starts.

A $280,000 buy, To Cap It All was also runner-up to La Dorada in the Group 2 Matamata Breeders’ Stakes and third behind Return To Conquer in the Group 1 Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie on Champions Day.

Ramsay has been active across numerous Australasian sales in 2025 on behalf of Heffer, whose Hollywoodbets bookmaking business has been a driving force behind rejuvenating the racing industry in South Africa.

He bought five at the New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka sale for a combined NZ$885,000, another five yearlings at the Inglis Premier sale for $1.08 million and a $140,000 Spirit Of Boom filly at last week’s Magic Millions March Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast,

The intention is to add to the shipment at the Easter sale with the extensive yearling haul to be imported to South Africa to race.

As for Stewart, whose aborted trip to the Magic Millions sale in January didn’t stop him from purchasing yearlings, time will tell if he is once again on the buyers’ sheet at the Easter sale.

New Zealand covering statistics on the decline

Figures released by the New Zealand Stud Book last week showed that almost 3953 mares were served by stallions domiciled in the country in 2024.

Fifteen stallions covered 100 mares or more, led by Noverre (179) and Profondo (173), with projections suggesting that about 2600 foals can be expected to be born by New Zealand-based stallions later this year.

That predicted foal crop number would be down on the reported 2744 last year, which anecdotally is closer to 3000 foals by the time registrations are completed, but the latest of stallion service statistics indicates the continued decline of mares being bred, which is the case almost the world over.

That number, however, doesn’t factor in New Zealand mares sent to Australia to be served or New Zealand-owned mares kept in Australia to be bred with domestic stallions.