Yu Long Investments ends Currie’s connection to Col ‘N’ Lil
BEN Currie’s successful run training Col ‘N’ Lil has come to an end after the horse’s new owners elected to move the group-winning mare to a new stable.
Fresh off the mare’s terrific Lord Mayor’s Cup win on the weekend, Col ‘N’ Lil was snapped up by Chinese firm Yu Long Investments for $180,000.
Sporting beautiful dapples is recent G3 wnr Col n Lil. She just sold as lot 679 from @bencurrieracing to Yu Long Investments for $180,000! pic.twitter.com/KGxz6FGixg
— Magic Millions (@mmsnippets) May 30, 2017
The new owners subsequently elected to change stables, ending Currie’s 35-start training partnership which yielded eight wins, 13 placings and just shy of $500,000 in earnings.
It is expected that the horse will be trained by fellow Queensland handler, Toby Edmonds.
Stiff. If there’s one horse I thought @bencurrieracing had got the absolutely most out of, it was Col n Lil. https://t.co/CutlIzl6S4
— Brad Thompson (@BradThompson83) May 30, 2017
Currie said he was frustrated the horse would not return to his stables, and was also surprised at the final price tag attached.
“It was obviously very disappointing,” Currie told HorseBetting.com.au.
“I obviously wanted to keep the horse, and to see her go through for that price too was probably the most disappointing part.
“I think she was quite cheap really.”
The $180,000 price tag turned heads at the Magic Millions, considering the horse’s earnings to date and its breakthrough success at group level on the weekend.
The horse’s now former trainer believes Col ‘N’ Lil has the ability to earn that money directly back over the next month of racing.
“I definitely thought she’d be worth more than what she got,” Currie said.
“Just from a race perspective, she runs in a listed mile in two-weeks and then the Ipswich Cup the week after that if they keep to the plan that we were doing.
“Those races alone are worth $200,000 if she won both of those. Obviously you can’t say if she’d win them or not because they’re still hard races, but you’re pretty much a good chance of $200,000 in the next month.
“You’d think you’d be a fair chance of getting it back, she’ll start pretty well in the market in both of those races.
“That’s probably the most frustrating part.”
It’s suspected that Yu Long team will elect to move Col ‘N’ Lil to the Toby Edmonds stable, where several of their other horses are currently residing.
Currie stated that he tried to plead his case to continue training the group winner, but believes he never truly got the opportunity to sway the new owners.
“I tried to speak to them, Yu Long are obviously Chinese so it’s a little bit difficult.
“The guy that runs it and has all the money doesn’t speak English, so I was going through interpreters. We threw our hat in the ring, but I think they said the horse is going to go to Toby Edmonds.
“They’ve obviously got ideas of their own, but it’s still pretty hard to work out, but what do you do? What can you say?”
Despite the disappointment that the horse – which was purchased for $15,000 originally – will no longer be under his training umbrella, Currie said there is no ill-will following the decision.
tweeted yesty how brutal racing is. Saturday’s Grp 3 winner Col n Lil sold by her owner today & likely race elsewhere for new connections ?
— Shane Ciurleo (@ToowoombaTips) May 30, 2017
“They’ve already got a few in Toby Edmonds’ stables, and that’s what they’ve decided to do.
“It’s nothing against them and it’s nothing against Toby, it’s just how it is.”