Port Light off to Hong Kong

Our 2024 Tattersalls Ireland draft was small in comparison to other years, only having two representatives, but we still managed to have a decent horse come out of the sale. Port Light by City Light was picked up and sent into training with Archie Watson.

A winning debut at Southwell in November wasn’t much to jump up and down about, but to be fair he did all he could on the day. He backed up with a decent second, which demonstrated he definitely was a solid performer. It was his third run when he captured the imagination—he blitzed the field, winning by five lengths with twelve back to the third. An official rating of 94 was given after that performance, and optimism was high. Going back to the same course previously in a £50k conditions race, he ran extremely well to finish third, beaten 1½ lengths behind Detain (Juddmonte/Gosden) and Luther (Fellows).

Next, he went to Newmarket and ran in the Listed King Charles II Stakes, finishing a respectable fifth, staying on again late after finding his feet in the dip. Some onlookers might have thought that was his level and just shy of stakes grade, but knowing the horse, and with it being only his fifth run, I still think he was open to improvement.

After he won during the winter, I was talking to someone who was involved, and I put forward my two cents and suggested he was tailor-made for the Britannia at Ascot. He never showed up at Ascot, regrettably, but it was only recently I heard he had been sold off to Hong Kong.

When you go back and look through his form in the Chelmsford conditions race, it’s easy to see why. Detain went on to run a game third in the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club, and Luther ran fourth, beaten 1¼ lengths, in the French Guineas. Luther backed that up with another cracking run in a Group 1 at Saratoga and went on to win a Group 2 afterwards. Both Detain and Luther have official marks of 113 and 112, so it’s easy to see why Hong Kong came knocking.

Hopefully the story isn’t finished for Port Light as he takes on new shores.