Summer’s Passage to Hong Kong confirmed
GROUP One winner Summer Passage will not be returning to New Zealand, but the star runner will be staying in the family.
The Hong Kong-based Paul O’Sullivan is set to guide the future career of the colt, which had been trained by his brother Lance and his Matamata training partner Andrew Scott.
“The owner has a permit to race there that he has to fill by December 22 so he’s going up to Paul,” O’Sullivan said.
“He was originally bought to go to Hong Kong and, at that time, we didn’t envisage winning a group one here so it was a privilege to do that. Who knows, he might be back at some stage.”
Currently spelling in New South Wales on Hong Kong owner Eugene Chuang’s Hermitage Thoroughbreds property, Summer Passage showed its quality when he was successful in last season’s Group One Sistema Stakes at Ellerslie.
The horse also won the Listed Reid and Harrison Slipper at Matamata and closed out its two-year-old season with a runner-up finish in the Group One Sires’ Produce Stakes at Randwick.
The son of Snitzel made four appearances in Melbourne this spring with its best effort a second placing in the Group Three Caulfield Guineas Prelude.