A final field of 14 runners has been declared for Saturday's inaugural ¥1,000,000 Inglis China Australia Cup (1200m), the richest Open class horse race to be run in China in the past decade.
The field is made up of graduates from a range of Inglis sales including the Classic and Premier Yearling Sales, the Ready2Race Sale and mixed sales, as well as racehorses sourced privately by Inglis.
Of the 14 runners, six are former Australian-raced gallopers – Chiaramonte, Resistant, Bascule, Avanti, Club Star and Evening Rose.
Seven ownership groups from various regions in China have runners in the race, dominated by the popular Mr Yuesheng Zhang, who has six starters.
Mr Zhiheng Zhao and Mr Zhiqiang An have two runners apiece while Mr Hongqiang Yang, Mr Hongjun Han, Mr Haibo Cui and De Li Xi Group have one runner each.
The race will be run at Yulong Racecourse in Shanxi Province, in the North China region.
The Inglis China Australia Cup forms part of Inglis' program to support horse racing in China, which included sponsorship of the China Equine Cultural Festival (CECF) in Ordos last month.
Inglis also sponsored the corresponding Yulong Cup raceday last year.
Inglis Managing Director Mark Webster will travel to China to present the winning owner with the trophy and cheque.
"The Chinese racing market continues to evolve at a rapid rate and Inglis is thrilled to have been a long-time partner,'' Webster said.
"To be involved with the richest Open race run in China in such a long time is something we are very proud of.
"Saturday's race will mark a significant milestone in the Chinese racing industry and Inglis hopes to be involved for many years to come and continue to play a role in strengthening the industry with our Asian neighbours.''
Mr Zhang believes the hype around the race will create a platform for an influx of Inglis horses into China in the future.
"There's no doubt at all that the Inglis China Australia Cup will create a big demand of Inglis graduates exported to China for racing and breeding purposes,'' Mr Zhang said.
"Even more importantly, by having Inglis already signed on for their support again for next year's running of the race, they have created their own brand in the thoroughbred industry in China as a great contributor to the development of horse racing in our country.''
To view the Inglis China Australia Cup field,click here.
The race will be live streamed on the Inglis website at 5.30pm AEST Saturday atinglis.com.au