Hong Kong Jockey Club Threatens To Boycott Australia's Easter Sale

The Hong Kong Jockey Club is threatening to boycott the prestigious Sydney Easter sale due to a dispute over the X-raying of horses before and after Australia's premier yearling auction, according to a story in the Racing Post. The HKJC has demanded the right to X-ray yearlings and return any purchases which are found to have major faults.

Sales company William Inglis & Son, which allowed the practice last year, has said the HKJC cannot expect "preferential treatment" at this year's auction on April 2-4.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, the HKJC's director of racing, told the Racing Post: "I respect Inglis' right to make a business decision, but there are other sales and we will also look at buying privately before the yearling sales.

"We are not talking about cheap horses and we are not talking about small problems. We want customer protection if post-purchase X-rays show any yearlings we buy to have lesions or old fractures."

Reg Inglis, managing director of William Inglis & Son, told the Racing Post: "The Hong Kong Jockey Club wants preferential treatment and that is unfair to others who come from around the world to buy at our sale."