Two bites at Aussie Derby for Mr Wolf
The focus of an international thoroughbred operation with a major New Zealand presence will centre on Sydney this weekend.
Lang Lin’s Inner Mongolia Rider Horse Industry will have two representatives in Saturday’s A$2 million Gr.1 Australian Derby (2400m), a race they won in 2015 with their subsequent dual New Zealand Horse of the Year Mongolian Khan.
He was prepared at Cambridge by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman, who also guide the fortunes of the emerging three-year-old Mongolian Marshal and he will be joined in the Randwick classic by the Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richards-trained Mongolianconqueror.
“Both horses are in top form and drawing six is good for Mongolianconqueror, but the other one has drawn out (20) and he will need some luck, it will depend on the pace of the race,” said Simon Poon, Rider Horse Industry’s corporate director of racing and general manager.
“We’ll have a number of the group over there, including Mr Wolf [Lang Lin].”
Poon confirmed Opie Bosson will ride the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m) runner-up Mongolianconqueror, who finished off well for eighth in the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m), and Craig Williams is booked for Mongolian Marshal.
The latter won two lower grade events before finishing fourth in his Australian debut under Williams in the Gr.2 Tulloch Stakes (2000m).
Meanwhile, the group is still looking to place the well-bred four-yearold Mongolian Falcon at stud.
He won the Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) in 2016 and ran sixth in the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) before the son of Fastnet Rock and the Galileo mare Amazing Beauty’s career was cut short by a tendon injury.
“He won the Group Two race by five lengths and the second horse (Jon Snow) went on to win the Australian Derby,” Poon said.
“We’re looking for a good stud for him, he’ll be standing in New Zealand.”
Meanwhile, the Rider Horse Industry are planning for another major shipment of horses to go to China later in the year. “It will be in late June or early July,” Poon said.
— NZ Racing Desk.