Sydney trainer John Thompson will oversee the Australian team of horses at the first internationally endorsed thoroughbred meeting in mainland China later this year.
The China Horse Club, headed by Teo Ah Khing, was a major buyer at this year’s Australian Easter yearling sale and will hold the China Equine Cultural Festival on September 20 and 21 in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, in conjunction with Desert Star Holdings.
International breeding and racing conglomerate Coolmore is supporting the meeting along with France and Australia.
The imported thoroughbreds include the sons and daughters of champion sires Galileo, Giants Causeway, Zabeel, Oasis Dream and Encosta de Lago.
Thompson said he had visited the facilities and was looking forward to being a part of the groundbreaking event.
“I will be over there for three weeks in September looking after the Australian team of 30 horses,” Thompson said.
“I met Mr Teo at the sales in Sydney and I have been over to China to have a look at the set-up.
“They are very enthusiastic about building a racing and breeding industry and bought a lot of nice horses earlier this year.”
The Chinese government-owned Tianjin State Farms Agribusiness Group and Desert Star Holdings, an affiliate of the China Horse Club, are involved in the breeding venture with Coolmore which will source brood mares from Ireland.
An international standard racecourse and breeding farm will be created in the Tianjin region and will establish Hohhot as a thoroughbred centre.
Chinese students have worked in the thoroughbred industry in France and Ireland in preparation for their new careers in China.
