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McDonald to ride in HK Jockey Challenge; Ready To Run Sale set to begin;
McDonald to ride in HK Jockey Challenge
Expat New Zealand jockey James McDonald will represent Australia at the International Jockeys' Challenge (IJC) in Hong Kong next month
The in-form hoop has been based in Sydney for several years and has won the premiership on three occasions.
The IJC is scheduled to be held at Happy Valley racecourse on December 4, but two meetings have already been cancelled at the track in recent weeks amid concerns over the unrest in Hong Kong.
Happy Valley is on Hong Kong Island close to the issues, while the other racecourse, Sha Tin, is in the New Territories.
Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore, Pierre-Charles Boudot and Oisin Murphy are among the other international jockeys taking part, while ex-pat Australian Zac Purton is one of the Hong Kong representatives.
The event is part of the lead-up to the annual International meeting at Sha Tin on December 8.
Ready To Run Sale set to begin
The first day of New Zealand Bloodstock's Ready To Run Sale of 2YOs will commence at their Karaka sales complex on Wednesday, November 20, at 11am.
The leading sale of its kind in the southern hemisphere, the Ready To Run sale has provided the winners of 19 Group One races and 140 Stakes races in the last six seasons.
Multiple Group One winners Mongolian Khan, Turn Me Loose, Gingernuts and Beat The Clock are all graduates of Australasia's leading breeze-up sale, while Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) placegetter Te Akau Shark was purchased for $230,000 by Te Akau principal David Ellis.
Gr.2 Bill Stutt Stakes (1600m) winner The Holy One is a $160,000 graduate of the sale for Trent Busuttin and Natalie Young, while talented stayer Surprise Baby failed to meet a $35,000 reserve through Rich Hill Stud's 2016 Ready To Run Sale draft.
The 2019 edition of the Ready to Run will be held at Karaka on November 20 and 21.