The season doesn't finish with Sunday's Longines Hong Kong International Races - in some ways, it is just getting started.
In the coming weeks, horses purchased from all corners of the racing world will begin their build-up to the HK$18 million BMW Hong Kong Derby for their new trainers at Sha Tin.
At the start of this season, it appeared John Size held all of the aces heading into the four-year-old series - which starts with the Classic Mile in late January, continues with the Classic Cup and culminates with the Derby in March. Thewizardofoz and Sun Jewellery were at that stage still unbeaten and a combined six from six for Size.
Since resuming this season, though, the highly touted pair have a combined record of zero from three and what appears a deep crop of imports has begun to emerge from morning trackwork and trials. The picture doesn't look nearly as straightforward anymore.
Sunday will see a few of the second-tier candidates take to the track but December 27 looms as a prelude to the four-year-old series when Thewizardofoz could clash with the import everyone is talking about, John Moore's Consort, over a mile at Sha Tin.
Joao Moreira has stuck solid with Thewizardofoz and Zac Purton will ride Consort in the Class Two mile, a race that will set the stage for the three months that follow.
With that in mind, let's run through some of the most talked about imports. This isn't a definitive list, or a "best of" - it is the five gallopers who have had tongues wagging around the Sha Tin trainers' hut.
CONSORT
Trainer: John Moore
Owner: Pan Sutong
Old name: Consort
Former trainer: Sir Michael Stoute
Overseas record: 4 (2-1-1)
Rating: 93
Resume: Two easy wins already had Consort as one of the highest-rated horses in his age group before a third to Gleneagles at Royal Ascot in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot
There are so many talking points with this grey colt: the rumoured £1.5 million (HK$17.56 million) price tag and the 93 rating are enough, but then there is the most talked about aspect of Consort's arrival - who is training the horse, or rather, who isn't.
Pan Sutong has had plenty to celebrate with Richard Gibson in recent times, winning a Hong Kong Derby and Hong Kong Cup with Akeed Mofeed and striking Group One glory with Gold-Fun, yet the wine-loving, jet-setting billionaire has entrusted John Moore with Consort.
Moore has had success with former Highclere Thoroughbred Racing horses before, with the likes of Hong Kong Vase winner Dominant and Collection, who won the Hong Kong Derby third-up after not having a local start until February. Like Collection, Consort carries not only the added expectation of a big purchase price but a big rating – Collection starting off 96, and Consort 93.
Still, even with the lofty mark, the grey still has upside, with just four starts until now. The rating takes the pressure off having to push for a place in the big races and Moore has extra time with Consort, having started work here two months ago before stepping out for his first trial last Tuesday.
The downside?
Will Consort be tractable enough to settle in the type of stop-start and slowly run races for which the four-year-old series is renowned? Consort was ridden by Joao Moreira in his trial, the Brazilian tucking him in behind the leaders in an effort to teach the horse to settle, which he did reasonably well.
When Consort was second to Intilaaq at his last start, Frankie Dettori told the press, "If I had to be critical, my horse was just a little bit too keen in the first three furlongs.”
He also said Consort was still in “mile mode” after making the running previously. Encouragingly though, Dettori maintained that 2,000m was ultimately the best distance for the son of Lope de Vega.
One added degree of difficult for Moore – Consort is still a colt and one would assume that Pan, having spent a pretty penny and with established breeding interests in Australia, would want to keep him that way. It is too late to geld a horse and make it back in time for the Derby now, so Moore will be hoping Consort is on his best behaviour.
FRIENDS OF KA YING
Trainer: Benno Yung Tin-pang
Owner: Alan Wong Wai-kai
Old name: Almalad
Former trainer: Gai Waterhouse
Overseas record: 8 (4-0-0)
Rating: 89
Resume: Unbeaten as a two-year-old in three starts, beating Brazen Beau over a mile in the J J Atkins Stakes – the same race Yung's 2015 Hong Kong Derby placegetter Romantic Touch, another ex-Waterhouse runner, won a year before. Like Romantic Touch, Friends Of Ka Ying's three-year-old form was mixed, but he did notch another stakes win over 1,600m.
Connections probably wish they had got hold of this prospect after his two-year-old season. Friends Of Ka Ying arrives in Hong Kong with eight starts to his name after a relatively tough early three-year-old campaign, and the odds of improving a Gai Waterhouse-trained horse aren't great.
What Friends Of Ka Ying has in his favour is tactical speed and the fact he seems to have acclimatised to his new home quickly.
Friends Of Ka Ying's trials have been impressive and the son of Al Maher will have his first start in Hong Kong on Sunday in a strong 1,200m Class Two, facing in-form horses like Born In China, Jetwings and Amazing Kids.
As adaptable as Friends Of Ka Ying might be to Hong Kong, and even with the notable mile wins, he doesn't really look suited to any further, but that might be where Yung is tempted to venture if the horse runs a good race on Sunday.
PEACOCK
Trainer: Richard Gibson
Owner: Marces Lee Tze-bun
Old name: Peacock
Former trainer: Richard Hannon
Overseas record: 7 (3-2-1)
Rating: 90
Resume: One from three as a two-year-old before returning at three with a polytrack win. Then came the big results: a second to superstar Golden Horn, a win over 2,000m at Listed level before heading to Royal Ascot and finishing second to Time Test.
There were only two trainers watching the horses parade at Royal Ascot: John Moore and Richard Gibson. As Moore perused through the racebook before the Tercentenary Stakes, a race that produced his 2008 Derby winner Collection among other Hong Kong stars, he lamented that most of the prospects were owned by big breeders that would be unwilling to sell. There was one that caught the eye, though: Peacock, owned by Queen Elizabeth.
“Oh yes, the Queen, she will sell,” Moore said. “She is commercial.”
That story is retold more for the fact it may be the first time the Queen had been labelled “commercial”, as it was Gibson who ended up with Peacock – runner-up in the race to the outstanding colt Time Test.
Niarchos family-owned Disegno, fourth in the race, also ended up here after another run. He is now with Tony Cruz and known as California Disegno.
First port of call when Peacock arrived at Sha Tin was a trip to the veterinary clinic, were he was castrated, making Gibson's job a lot more straightforward than some of the other trainers with similary priced prospects.
Even though Peacock arrived relatively early, hitting the track in September, he may not be ready for the races just yet after travelling keenly in his first trial last Tuesday and failing to finish off strongly when asked by Douglas Whyte.
HERO LOOK
Trainer: Chris So Wai-yin
Owner: Kwok Ho
Old name: Hero Look
Former trainer: Stefano Botti
Overseas record: 5 (4-1-0)
Initial rating: 88 (now 91)
Resume: Was actually first past the post in all five starts in Italy, but lost on objection first-up as a three-year-old. Won two stakes races – the Group Two Gran Criterium as a two-year-old and the Group Three Premio Parioli at three, the same race that new stablemate Best Tango and Hong Kong Mile third Packing Whiz won before arriving.
Buying out of Italy might be seen as a cheaper alternative to Europe's more prosperous jurisdictions, but it also has its victims.
For every Beauty Only or Packing Whiz, there is a Wah May Friend or Wonderful Guy. “Who are they?” I hear you ask. Exactly.
Wah May Friend was second to Hero Look at his last start in Italy and to be fair, has shown glimpses of ability but doesn't look any star.
Still, the owners have pulled the right rein forking our what is believed to be around €500,000 (HK$4.16 million) for Hero Look. He is actually Irish-bred, by the same sire as Consort, Lope de Vega, and out of a Daylami mare.
So also made the right move by electing to have the colt castrated as soon as the deal was done, giving him time to set the horse for the four-year-old series.
Maybe Hero Look doesn't have the class of some of his fellow Derby aspirants, but what he does have is a run already in the racebook. Hero Look found his way into Alan Aitken's black bookers with a first-up run over 1,400m, where he was beaten by a narrow margin by Celestial Smile in Class Two.
Hero Look may be more a tradesman than a superstar in the making, but he should end up paying his way regardless.
WERTHER
Trainer: John Moore
Owner: Johnson Chen
Old name: Werther
Former trainer: Andrew Campbell
Overseas record: 13 (4-4-2)
Rating: 89
Resume: Worked his way through the ranks in New Zealand without ever stamping himself as a star, but as he got up to 2,000m and beyond he began to make an impact. Second in the South Australian Derby (2,500m), beat some handy older horses in the Eagle Farm Cup (2,200m) and then second in the Queensland Derby (2,500m).
There is a school of thought that 2,000m-plus form, however "good" it might be, isn't necessarily a positive for this part of the world. Werther has not only had that “too dour” tag hanging over his head from day one, there are also question marks over his overall class and on how much upside there really is for a horse that has taken 13 starts to attain a rating of 89.
What has been noticed, though, is the solid work in the mornings and two decent barrier trials.
Werther will probably put his best foot forward, it's just whether that is good enough to ever get him elevated into Class One.
He is entered for international day, first-up over a mile and against another of Moore's imports – Victory Magic.
Owners will be hoping Werther shows enough dash to be competitive at less than 2,000m, and if he doesn't, that he has enough class to at least compete or qualify for the few staying races on offer.
