Caspar Fownes and Joao Moreira lift the BMW Hong Kong Derby with Sky Darci

[Wandering Eyes]

Sky Darci (NZ) (Darci Brahma) became the seventh New Zealand bred to claim the HK$24 million Hong Kong Derby (2000m) in the past 12 years with a tenacious performance to land Hong Kong’s most coveted race under a gun Joao Moreira ride.  

The Darci Brahma gelding was plucked from New Zealand as a PPG (Privately Purchased Griffin), joining the Fownes stable as a raw, unraced gelding in 2019. Less than two years later, he is part of Hong Kong racing folklore.  

Eleven starts after debuting in Hong Kong on 9 November, 2019, the four-year-old emulated the feats of fellow unraced import Golden Sixty (Medaglia D’Oro), now the highest-rated horse in the jurisdiction, by staving off stouter-bred stayers to lift Hong Kong’s most coveted Classic.  

In the end, only a head separated Sky Darci and a charging Russian Emperor – the son of super-sire Galileo and champion Australian mare Atlantic Jewel – as Panfield (Lookin At Lucky), a triple Group One winner in Chile, closed menacingly.  

“It was the longest (last) 200m I’ve ever seen in a race, that’s for sure,” Fownes said after securing his second Hong Kong Derby triumph, having savoured his first win in 2010 with Super Satin.  

“It felt like an eternity there and I’m glad he stuck his neck out and got the winning result.  

“All in all, it’s a magic day – massive satisfaction. This horse with the owners (the Kwan family), it’s magic, they’ve been incredible people to train for.  

“They bought this horse and gave me the opportunity to train him – he’s come a long way in a short period of time – all credit goes to them. Also, I’m very happy with Joao (Moreira).  

“You’re never too confident in these types of races. I said to Joao ‘I can’t get a horse any better than this. Obviously, the staying test is going to be a little bit of query for us, but we’ve got the soft gate and he’s in perfect condition. So, good luck’.”  

Having finished sixth and seventh, respectively, in the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m), Sky Darci was strategically sent to Conghua Racecourse to recover by Fownes.  

Sky Darci parades during the 2018 New Zealand
Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka
(Trish Dunell)

It was a masterstroke – and one which paves the way for the now six-time Hong Kong winner to return to more preferable distances.  

“That was a big, tough win but he’s going to have to go to the next level now, which I’ll think he will take in time,” Fownes said.  

Bred by Mark Freeman and David Price, Sky Darci is yet another Hong Kong Derby winner to graduate from Sam and Libby Bleakley’s Highden Park, following in the footsteps of Ping Hai Star (NZ) (Nom Du Jeu) (2018) and Werther (NZ) (Tavistock) (2016), while another of their star graduates Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock) finished third in 2017. 

The son of proven sire Darci Brahma, Sky Darci was sold through Highden Park for $160,000 at the 2018 Karaka Book 1 Yearling Sale to the Kwan family and races for Jessica Kwan Mun Hang.  

Like a number of horses identified by Magus Equine’s Willie Leung, which includes last year’s Hong Kong Derby winner Golden Sixty and star sprinter Mr Stunning (Exceed And Excel), Sky Darci did his early education in New Zealand, where he had two trials for Matamata trainer Graham Richardson. 

“Sky Darci was a nice horse that we gave two very quiet trials before he went up to Hong Kong,” Richardson said. 

“He was a very athletic horse who always appealed as a prospect to go to the top. 

“He stood out as a horse with potential, but he has also improved with some age on him which I thought he would. 

“I got involved mainly through Hong Kong agent Willie Leung, who is a very good judge of a horse. 

“All I’ve done really is educate them, all the accolades for sourcing them go to Willie.” 

Sky Darci is the son of O’Reilly mare Strictly Maternal and is the younger half-brother of Gr.2 Brisbane Cup (2200m) winner Chocante. He has won six of his 12 starts in Hong Kong for just over HK$21m in prizemoney. 

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