Cover image courtesy of Hong Kong Jockey Club
Hot King Prawn, at eight years old and more snow-grey than steel-grey these days, has better stories to tell than most at his new home in Jilliby, northwest of Wyong. The former Hong Kong star arrived this week at Rebecca Brown’s Hillview Thoroughbreds, ready for a new life in the show ring.
It was an uncomplicated journey from Sha Tin, Hot King Prawn retiring from the care of trainer John Size in May this year. Brown and Size go back a long way, which is how she has ended up with one of Hong Kong’s most iconic horses.
Hot King Prawn's arrival at Hillview Thoroughbreds this week | Image courtesy of Hillview Thoroughbreds
“I’ve rehomed over 800 horses in my time, and I don’t even count anymore,” Brown said. “From the first year that John Size went to Hong Kong, I’ve been getting horses from him and I still remember the first two that arrived here. One was from Tony Cruz and the other from John, and they’ve just never stopped arriving since.”
Brown, by her own admission, is relatively shy. It’s probably why she doesn’t have the same profile as other re-trainers in the business.
When the news reached her that Hot King Prawn would be arriving at Jilliby in August, the horse hers to do what she wanted with, it was a huge shock to her.
Rebecca Brown | Image courtesy of Hillview Thoroughbreds
“I don’t ever ask for them so it was a huge surprise,” Brown said. “But John never tells me what’s coming. Sometimes five can arrive at once, which can be like Christmas numerous times a year. You can imagine John Size in a Santa suit with a beard, because that’s what he is to me.”
Hong Kong idol
Hong Kong, like Japan, makes much of its racetrack stars and, from 2017 until May this year, Hot King Prawn was exactly that.
Bred by the Cornish family at Torryburn Stud, the grey yearling colt was sold for $90,000 at the 2016 Inglis Classic Sale to Aquanita Racing, then on-sold and exported to Hong Kong in February 2017.
Hot King Prawn as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
He had a bit of breeding behind him.
Hot King Prawn is a half-brother to Siren’s Fury (Myboycharlie {Ire}), a winner of the G3 Star Kingdom H. and G3 Dark Jewel Classic. His grandam was the Listed winner Val De Grace (NZ) (Centaine).
In Hong Kong, racing in the hot-pink colours of Lau Sak Hong (affectionately nicknamed ‘Prawn’ by his family), Hot King Prawn hit his straps immediately. He won his first five starts by a collective 12l, and from then on he was as consistent as they come.
He won at Group 2 and Group 3 level, and was second in the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in 2019. It took him a while to break his Group 1 duck, but he eventually did when he won the G1 Centenary Sprint Cup at Sha Tin in January 2021.
Hot King Prawn | Image courtesy of Inglis
The win was a tremendous return to the top because Hot King Prawn had survived colic surgery in February 2019. He spent 10 months away from racing before slowly creeping back to competition.
“He had a major interruption with colic surgery, so I left him off the track for about 10 months,” Size told the South China Morning Post earlier this year. “He won a Group 1 after that, which is quite unusual.”
All up, the grey gelding had 31 starts in Hong Kong. He won 12 races for eight placings, and his prizemoney tally was HK$37.6 million, which is roughly AU$7 million.
All up, the grey gelding (Hot King Prawn) had 31 starts in Hong Kong. He won 12 races for eight placings, and his prizemoney tally was HK$37.6 million, which is roughly AU$7 million.
It doesn’t happen to all horses that go to Hong Kong, but Hot King Prawn thrived in the pressure-cooker environment at Sha Tin. He didn’t mind the confinement, the humidity or the routine, and it’s what led to his career being so extensive across five seasons.
“It’s very different over there, things are very controlled,” Brown said. “The horses all live at the Sha Tin complex and they’re stabled 24/7. On racedays, COVID aside, it’s like Golden Slipper Day every day in terms of crowd numbers. So the horses come to me very exposed.”
Brown has a lot of respect for her Hong Kong ex-pats, be they champions or not. She treats them all the same, watching their coats carefully to see how they’ll acclimatise, then working out what discipline will suit them. And it’s not just Size’s horses that arrive, either.
Hot King Prawn in his stable at Sha Tin | Image courtesy of Hillview Thoroughbreds
“Tony Cruz sends them, and I’ve got one coming from Douglas Whyte soon,” she said. “Some of the owners over there send them too. They can come from everywhere, really.”
To the show ring
Brown’s association with Size goes right back to when she was 17, around the time the trainer took up roots at Randwick. Since then, she’s reschooled and rehomed plenty of his horses, but Hot King Prawn will be the most high-profile.
The grey gelding arrived at Hillview Thoroughbreds, Brown’s 20-acre holding in Jilliby, on Wednesday, and, since the news broke that he was coming, she’s been inundated.
Hot King Prawn coming off the truck at Hillview Thoroughbreds this week | Image courtesy of Hillview Thoroughbreds
“Lots of people want him,” she said. “It’s really been amazing.”
In true Size style, Hot King Prawn was booked to Jilliby without Brown ever asking for him, and without Size even telling her. She’d visited the horse several times at Sha Tin, so she knew what he looked like and what kind of temperament he had.
“I respect that this horse was a champion in Hong Kong,” she said. “So it was a real shock when I got the call from IRT that he was coming because he could have gone to Living Legends, couldn’t he?”
“I respect that this horse (Hot King Prawn) was a champion in Hong Kong. So it was a real shock when I got the call from IRT that he was coming because he could have gone to Living Legends, couldn’t he?” - Rebecca Brown
For the immediate future, the horse now nicknamed ‘Chilli’ will recover from his travel and quarantine, and settle in at Hillview Thoroughbreds. Brown will spend much of the year re-educating him to be a show horse and, all being well, she hopes he will qualify at the end of the year for the led-class at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
Brown has a long and illustrious career behind her in the show ring. She is also one of the brains behind the Thoroughbred Spring Fair each November. If Hot King Prawn suits the discipline, Brown will lead him in classes and then consider ridden classes down the line.
Rebecca showing an off-track racehorse | Image courtesy of Hillview Thoroughbreds
The gelding will be the latest track star to follow this path, with the likes of Chautauqua (Encosta De Lago) and Precedence (NZ) (Zabeel {NZ}) also pursuing good careers in the show ring. Unlike the vast majority of horses that go into her care, though, Brown won’t be finding a new home for Hot King Prawn.
“He will never be sold,” she said. “Despite all the interest I’ve had in him, his future will always remain in my control. Every horse that comes here is special, but I guess there’s a little bit of pressure on me with this one because he was such a champion to so many people.”
“Every horse that comes here is special, but I guess there’s a little bit of pressure on me with this one (Hot King Prawn) because he was such a champion to so many people.” - Rebecca Brown
On September 2, Hot King Prawn will make the short trip to Wyong racecourse. He’s a VIP guest for the Wyong Cup meeting, and he’ll reunite with his old friend Sam Clipperton. The pair won the G2 Premier Bowl at Sha Tin in 2018.
“Sometimes with these Hong Kong horses, it’s best to get them up and about quickly when they arrive, just because that’s what they’re used to,” Brown said. “They’ve come from this training environment where it was busy and they were busy, and they can sometimes fret when they arrive.
“But I’m pretty confident about this horse. I know he’s got a lovely temperament already, which I learned from my visits before COVID. We’ll put a bit of weight on him after the travel and see how he goes slowly.”
