Hong Kong owner-breeder enjoys stakes success with Flower of Wanaka

The pink and violet colours of Hong Kong-based owner Dr Gene Tsoi were to the fore again last Saturday when Flower Of Wanaka won the listed Team Wealleans Tauranga Classic at Hastings.
Tsoi’s colours have been resplendent in New Zealand for over 30 years originally gaining fame with the good gallopers Seascay and Great Vintage in the early 1990s. And while originally it was racing horses that piqued his interest in New Zealand, he has been an active breeder in all that time as well.
Tsoi bred Flower of Wanaka Under the guise of Standard 2080 Ltd, and now races the daughter of the ill-fated sire Burgundy and Green Perfume mare Wanaka from the stable of Foxton trainer Chrissy Bambry.
The four-year-old was recording just her second win at her 17th start when upsetting her higher rated rivals in the Listed Tauranga Classic, which had been relocated to Hastings following the cancellation of the previous weekend’s Tauranga meeting.
“The success is all down to Chrissy,” said Marcus Corban, who manages Dr Tsoi’s bloodstock portfolio in Australasia. “The filly has thrived since she went to Chrissy, she gets trained on the treadmill, and with lots of variety, it’s certainly done the trick.
“It was a big call to put a Rating 65 mare in a black-type race, but I’ve learnt you never argue with the trainer!”
Flower of Wanaka had seven starts as a three-year-old for a solitary placing before she claimed her maiden victory in an NZB Insurance Pearl Series Race at Waverley last September. A few more placings followed before she was tipped out for a spell and she came into Saturday’s feature fresh-up after three trial placings.
It was the second late-season stakes win for Bambry and Hastings apprentice jockey Lily Sutherland, who had combined a month ago with U S Navy Flag filly Chantilly Lace in the Listed Castletown Stakes at Wanganui.
According to Corban, Tsoi is a big fan of New Zealand and has had a lot of success here. He likes to keep his fillies and sell his colts, but occasionally keeps a colt or two as well.
Corban, who was general manager of Cambridge during Sir Patrick Hogan’s rein, has been the manager of Tsoi’s horses for almost three decades, and due to their similar thinking they plan all the matings together. That faith and commitment to the industry in this part of the world has produced good results.
“Gene has had a lot of fun and success, he’s raced horses like Viking Ruler, Seascay, Mouawad and King’s Rose. He has had horses with Te Akau for about 25 years, and as well as Chrissy he has horses with Kurtis Pertab and Mark Forbes. He’s also had a lot of luck with trainers like David Hayes and Peter Moody.
“He’s had Derby winners, 1000 Guineas winners, he’s been quite lucky and Elegant Fashion and Mr Gnoochi have performed at stakes level in Hong Kong.”
Corban also makes the point that Tsoi derives just as much pleasure breeding and racing a Listed stakes winner in New Zealand, and now one that will eventually go into his breeding portfolio.
Flower of Wanaka is the tenth foal from the now deceased Wanaka and her fifth winner. She has also left Tavarnelle, a Zabeel mare who won at Group Three level in Melbourne and the dam of the Gr. 2 WATC Western Australian Derby and Gr. 3 Western Australia Oaks winner Tuscan Queen.
Wanaka is out of Riverly Lass and thus a half-sister to the Singapore Horse of the Year Zirna and the stakes winners Vandalo and Amazing Me. Their granddam Sparkle’N’Wonder was also a stakes winner.
“Gene has about six mares, and seven rising yearlings in New Zealand and another eight mares in Australia, that he continues to breed from,” added Corban.
“He had shares in Zabeel and had a lot of luck with Sir Patrick. Now he has shares in Almanzor here in New Zealand and Microphone in Australia and shows no signs of slowing down or reducing his investment in Australasia.”