Ghorgan will join Jamie Richards’ Olympic Stables operation when he arrives in Hong Kong early next month, and the trainer knows he’ll be on a tight schedule to put the highly sought-after colt on a pathway to the four-year-old series early next year.
The Hong Kong Derby prospect has been bought for an undisclosed owner, having been pursued determinedly by several keen bidders seeking a classy prospect in a difficult market, including at least one other high-profile Sha Tin handler.
“I put up a number of horses to a particular owner and things didn’t fall into place, but they did with this horse, eventually. They’re very hard to get, if not impossible; hopefully he arrives here and does a good job,” Richards told Idol Horse.
Ghorgan raced six times in Europe for his former trainer Andreas Wohler in the Darius Racing silks and was placed in both the Italian and German 2,000 Guineas, as well as the G3 Prix Daphnis at Deauville on August 4, his latest start. Ideally, horses being primed for the first leg of the four-year-old series in late January would already have been sourced and shipped to Hong Kong by early September.
🏆 Après son échec dans le Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, Ramadan (@lemaitre60LA / @CHeadRacing) remet les pendules à l'heure dans le Prix Daphnis – Prix Famille Steinbruch (Gr.3) à Deauville.
— Equidia (@equidia) August 4, 2024
Deuxième Groupe pour ce fils de Le Havre après le Prix de Fontainebleau en avril dernier. pic.twitter.com/Pj4eKH4gmg
Thirteen European-sourced PPs (Private Purchases) – raced horses – arrived in Hong Kong on September 7, including Hong Kong Derby types like Naval Force, Agenda, Sharinay and Keeper’s Heart, following a shipment of 10, featuring the high-profile Derby hope Mickley, that arrived on August 4.
“He’s coming next month: he’ll arrive October 5,” Richards said of Ghorgan. “We don’t have a lot of time, but hopefully he can settle in well and we’ll do our best to put him on a four-year-old series path.
“He’s in Newmarket now, he shipped over from Germany to Newmarket and he’ll go into quarantine this week. He’ll be doing some light exercise in quarantine there and then he’ll be doing some light exercise in quarantine when he gets here.”
Bloodstock agent Stuart Bowman identified Ghorgan to Richards as a horse with four-year-old series potential and the trainer was impressed with what he saw in videos, as well as his on-track performances and his breeding. The bay is by Lanwades Stud’s G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner Study Of Man, a son of the great Japanese sire Deep Impact, and is a maternal grandson of the exceptional mare Miesque.
“He’s a nice horse. I like his sire—he’s only got three-year-olds, but his stakes winners-to-runners ratio is pretty good. The horse has got some good solid form, reminiscent of Young Achiever, who we have in our stable,” Richards said.
Young Achiever won the 2023 German 2,000 Guineas and had his last European race even later than Ghorgan, on September 3 of that year. He did not step out for trackwork in Hong Kong until January 2024 and had his first race in April.
Ghorgan, though, will not have to take time to recover from a common procedure most horses imported to Hong Kong will go through.
“He’s still a colt and we’re going to leave him a colt for now because we haven’t got enough time to geld him,” Richards revealed.
And there is precedent for winning the top four-year-old prize off a ‘late’ arrival in Hong Kong. The 2024 Hong Kong Derby winner Massive Sovereign won a handicap in Ireland on September 9, 2023, stepped out for trackwork at Sha Tin on November 20, and had his first start on March 3, just three weeks before the Derby.
In 2013, Pan Sutong paid a hefty seven-figure sum for Akeed Mofeed after the colt had won a race at Cork on August 5 of that year, one day later than Ghorgan’s last run: trainer Richard Gibson had the colt racing first-up at Sha Tin on January 12 and won the Derby at his fourth start two months later.
Akeed Mofeed was known for his relaxed temperament, as well as his athletic ability, and Richards is hoping the same will be said of Ghorgan.
“He looks pretty clean and straightforward,” he added. “He is very impressive—from videos I’ve seen, he seems to have a good attitude and a good action, and hopefully, he’s a straightforward horse that can acclimatise quickly.”
