Quality New Zealand three-year-old Arrogant is the latest Australasian galloper to join the exodus to Hong Kong following his recent sale.
The Mike Moroney and Pam Gerard-trained son of Ocean Park will join the stable of Caspar Fownes in Hong Kong and the Group 1 performer will no doubt be a candidate for next year's Hong Kong Derby (2000m), which is run for four-year-olds and is Hong Kong's most prestigious race. “He's a lovely colt that we have developed from a yearling into a Group 1 performer with a big future,” Mike Moroney said. “However, the offer was simply too good to refuse, and he has been sold in a private negotiation brokered by my brother Paul.”
Arrogant has raced 10 times, winning his maiden at Matamata before finishing runner-up in the Group 2 Waikato Guineas (2000m) and fourth in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2400m). At his first start in Australia, Arrogant was narrowly beaten by The Autumn Sun in the Group 1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) before being unsuited by the Randwick surface last time out when unplaced in the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m).
Bred by Kevin Hickman, Arrogant was offered for sale as a New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka Premier yearling where he was purchased by Paul Moroney for $130,000 from Hickman's Valachi Downs.
Moroney said the Ballymore New Zealand stable played the major role in developing the talented three-year-old. “Pam Gerard and the team at Ballymore New Zealand deserve a lot of the credit,” Moroney said. “He's a horse which showed plenty of natural ability, but we gave him time to strengthen and mature. “It's a great option we have as a stable to be able to do this and it has paid off in a substantial way when we are able to bring horses to Australia for the better prizemoney.
“I believe the sale is an endorsement of what we can do with the stables in New Zealand and Australia and it gives our owners the best of both worlds.” “Of course, it's a disappointment to see him go but it is a seven-figure sale and they don't come along very often so if it gives clients of the stable a good return on their investment then that's not a bad thing. “We wish Caspar all the best with him and there will be no-one prouder than Ballymore Stables should he go on to win the Hong Kong Derby.”
Arrogant joins fellow Kiwi three-year-olds Surely Sacred, Sword In Stone and Spirits Aubeer as recent sales to Hong Kong, while Extra Brut and Global Exchange are members of the classic generation in Australia that have also been sold to Hong Kong.