Fresh off his best year ever trading thoroughbreds to key Asian racing jurisdictions, trainer Glenn Old is keen to continue the momentum he has created.
Along with preparing a boutique local racing team from his Matamata base, Old spends the majority of his time working with younger horses sourced from the New Zealand Bloodstock Yearling or Ready To Run Sale to have them ready for private sale opportunities generated through performances on either the trial or racetrack.
Old developed his client base initially through the Macau racing scene, where he worked as an assistant trainer for more than eight years and in more recent times has expanded that base to an extended group in Singapore and Hong Kong.
“I think I have just come off the busiest year I’ve ever had trading horses and that was even with the COVID situation that everyone has been dealing with,” Old said.
“It’s taken a long time and some bloody hard work to get to where we have, but I’m delighted with how we are travelling at the moment.
“The success we have had with horses we traded to Macau has spilled over to Singapore and Hong Kong and I’ve been able to capitalise on the opportunities that has provided.
“My original clients came from the years I spent in Macau and you don’t get very far if the horses you are selling don’t then go on and perform to expectation, so I’m thankful we have been able to source and develop stock that have done that.
“One of our main success stories up there lately is a Savabeel gelding called River Unicorn, who has won five races, including four of his past five.
“We bought him for $90,000 at the Ready to Run Sale at Karaka in 2019 and he has been a great advertisement for me.
“Just last week we had an Atlante colt (Kingdom Qi Feng) that we sold win first up in Macau, so the formula is still working well.”
Old is also proud of the results he has also received from horses sold to Hong Kong and Singapore, with bloodstock agents and the like keen to see what he has on his books as they look to service the demand for the New Zealand-bred product in those markets.
“The whole of the Asian marker has been good for us, as the owners and buyers there are always on the hunt for a good horse,” he said.
“Last year I think I sold 11 horses that we had in our team and another 25 or so that we sourced from the trial tracks out of other stables.
“Horses that can perform at the trials are snapped up very quickly as long as they have clean x-rays and are good types with a pedigree to match.”
While Old has concentrated on his offshore trading, he has also maintained a small team of gallopers for a loyal local client base.
“We always have a few that we race here in New Zealand for syndicates or owners who have been with me over the years,” he said.
“We don’t have large numbers so it lets us cull out those horses who can’t pay their way, although that is getting harder these days.
“I like to support our local racing wherever I can, but currently my main focus is on trading horses as that is where we are having the most success, something that has taken me a lifetime to achieve.”
