FORTUNA ACQUIRES THE PROVEN SYDNEY GALLOPER, ANTONIO GIUSEPPE
How would you like to be an Owner of a tried, proven, quality race horse (5 wins in Metropolitan Sydney) who will be racing in three Group One races later this year for over NZ$3.5 million in prizemoney? If so read on
I don’t know how often I have been asked if we are going to do another deal like we did with CHANCE TO DANCE last year (i.e. buying a proven Australian galloper) – but the answer has always been “yes” while acknowledging that these sorts of deals are not easy to do.
However I am happy to report that we have pulled off another deal with a tried, proven and successful Australian (although NZ bred) horse – the 5yo Gelding, ANTONIO GIUSEPPE
ANTONIO GIUSEPPE winning at Rosehill
Lightly raced (19 starts, 6 wins, 3 seconds, A$540k of prizemoney), “Tony”, as we have nicknamed him, is a five year old son of the Melbourne Cup winner, Shocking out of the High Chaparral mare, Chrystalthecowgirl) and has won quality races at Canterbury and Rosehill in Sydney and run 2nd in the Group One Metropolitan Handicap and the Group Three Kingston Town Stakes at Randwick, so no question that he has quality about him.
So far, so good and now for the twist in our story. This horse will take a different path to Chance To Dance – he will be set for the Singapore Gold Cup (2000 metres – S$1.35m) run under Handicap Conditions on 11th November 2018 with the two lead up races, The Raffles Cup (1600m WFA – $1m Stakes) run 30th September and The Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m – WFA – S$1m Stakes) run 21st October. These three races form three legs of the “Singapore Triple Crown” and are only eligible for Singapore based runners (no European “raiders” to contend with!!)
Background to all of this is that Mark Walker and I have been observing in recent times just how thin on the ground the quality distance horses currently racing in Singapore are and so we hatched a plan to try and acquire a “proven” horse from Australian ranks in order to have a crack at these sorts of races. From 1st Jan 2018, all Group One races in Singapore are minimum of $$1m prizemoney, all Group Two’s are S$500k minimum and Group Three’s S$250k minimum – these are very good prizemoney figures by any standards (by the way S$1 = NZ$1.05 at current exchange rate). Mark has assessed this horse from what he has seen of his race replays as 1600 to 2000 metres being his best distance – just perfect for the races we have targeted. We have had “Tony” vetted – this vetting to “Hong Kong Standards” – the highest standard in the world – he has passed with flying colours.
So, what is the deal? Fully syndicated value is is NZ$250,000 – this compares more than favourably with Chance to Dance, whose syndicated value was NZ$390,000
As always, shares available down to 1%
10% share $25,000 – 5% share $12,500 – 2.5% share $6,250 – 1% share $2,500
Share price includes all Initial Costs – Purchase price, Promoters Fees, Insurance through to 31st January 2019, freight to Singapore and working capital of over $9,000
10% share $25,000 – 5% share $12,500 – 2.5% share $6,250 – 1% share $2,500
Share price includes all Initial Costs – Purchase price, Promoters Fees, Insurance through to 31st January 2019, freight to Singapore and working capital of over $9,000
Monthly Ongoing costs from 1st April 2018 – 10% share $340 per month – 5% share $170 per month – 2.5% share $85 per month – 2.5% share $34 per month
Antonio Giuseppe
All going well, “Tony” will arrive in Singapore early to mid April, giving our Singapore Trainer, Mark plenty of time to work with him and get him acclimatised well ahead of a racing campaign aimed at those three big races later in the year. He will arrive in Singapore as a Class One (this is the highest Class) horse with a Singapore Rating of 92, prizemoney for Class One is S$125k, so he has plenty of chances to start paying his way ahead of the “prime targets”. Incidentally, the Gold Cup is a handicap and with weights being set by the top weighted horses rating, it is quite possible that Tony may only carry 51 or 52kgs in that race – this is a similar weight to what the Fortuna horse, TELL A TALE, carried when running 2nd in the 2010 edition of the Gold Cup (winning S$250k for his efforts by the way!!!).
So, if I sound excited, it is with justification.
Shares in CHANCE TO DANCE sold out very quickly last year, so if your interest is piqued by this opportunity, don’t hesitate to contact me by return email HERE or call/text 021 921 460. But be quick – shares are selling steadily.
Finally, Singapore is a fair distance away, but all Singapore racing is broadcast on Trackside TV and Radio and when Tony does contest those big races, we will be organising travel packages for those attending. Return fares to Singapore are under $1,000 these days, less than it costs to fly to Invercargill from Auckland or Hamilton!!!