Hampton Court Stakes (G3) Winner waipiro ran his last race for Ed Walker, with ties targeting next year’s Hong Kong Derby with the talented 3-year-old.
Waipiro gave Walker his second Royal Ascot winner with a two-quarters group 3 finish on June 22 — five years on agriculture Sandringham’s success.
The Hong Kong Derby has proved elusive for the Siu family, owners of Waipiro, for more than two decades, with Waipiro’s half-brother. Waikuku The most recent ended in 2019 when drawn in the widest stall and beaten by just over a split in a second.
Speaking in his weekly Weekender column, Walker revealed: “I’ve received word that Waipiro is going to Hong Kong, where he will be training for the Derby there in March.
“He’s the ideal horse for the race because he loves fast ground, has high airspeed and excellent footwork. He’d be a perfect fit a mile and a half away from Sha Tin.
“The Siu family have been our big supporters since 2015 and they love to race in Europe. However, the main goal is to produce the finest horses, and hopefully racehorses for the race.” Hong Kong, and in Waipiro, we’ve done our job well.
“He’s half-brother to Waikuku, who finished second in the Hong Kong Derby, so he looks set to make an impact in that race.”
Waipiro won two of his five starts and finished second Military command in the Lingfield Derby Test Stakes and sixth in the Derby (G1) at Epsom, ahead of his Royal Ascot victory.
“It’s obviously sad and disappointing for my team, but we’ve had a great couple of days with him, for which we are very grateful,” Walker said.
“If he doesn’t tick all the right boxes then he will stay here, like Stormy Antarctica, who needs to be dig deep and won’t be suitable for Hong Kong, that’s why he She stayed and did great things for us.
“I’m going to Hong Kong in March for my annual visit and no one will be cheering louder than me for Waipiro in the Derby.”
Antarctic storm won five group races for the Siu and Walker families, and Coming From The Dark who represent the same connections, could contest the €100,000 Rockingham Handicap at Curragh July 2. The sprinter was also involved at Windsor July 1.
