River Control (NZ) Wins Macau Gold Cup

River Control (NZ) (Choisir), who was purchased for $40,000 at the 2014 Premier Sale, picked up the eighth and most significant victory of his career to date in Sunday’s M$800,000 Macau Gold Cup (1800m).

With Brazilian jockey Ruan Maia in the saddle, the gelding raced in midfield before producing an irresistible late surge down the outside to win by three-quarters of a length. Another Karaka graduate, River Treasure (NZ) (Savabeel), was third for the same owner-trainer combination of King Ho and Cheong Sio Hun.

This victory was the second consecutive win by a Karaka graduate with Bobo So Cute (Savabeel) taking the honours by half a length in 2017. New Zealand bred and sold horses have won 31% of the Listed Macau Gold Cup’s since the inaugural running in 2003.

River Control is out of the Galileo mare Glam Girl, a half-sister to Group 2 winner Midnight Martini (Street Cry).

Bred by the T W Archer Trust, River Control went through the Phoenix Park draft at the 2014 Premier Sale where he was purchased for $40,000 by owner King Ho. He has now earned M$2.2 million for his owner – more than 10 times his purchase price.