'He'll enjoy it' - Exultant homecoming to Ballygallon Stud for Hong Kong legend
Group 1 winner returns to breeder Belinda Strudwick after stellar career
The December fog has yet to lift the veil it has cast over the Nore Valley, although sunrise was several hours ago. The beauty of the rolling hills through which the swollen river meanders towards the sea is burnished by the last copper leaves of autumn clinging grimly to their branches, despite the twinkle of Christmas lights in the villages and houses dotted on the hillside.
The contrast with Hong Kong's high-rise city, the South China Sea dazzling with the reflected glow of hundreds of millions of lights, the streets struggling to contain the noise of seven million people, is staggering.
What unites the two disparate vistas is a champion - Exultant - who was Hong Kong's Horse of the Year for the 2019-2020 season.
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Published on 29 December 2021inBloodstock Big Read
Last updated 14:34, 29 December 2021
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- Meet the 6ft 3in Cheltenham Festival-winning jockey keen to keep going in the saddle - and the sales ring
- 'It was surreal' - meet the bloodstock stalwart who rode an Irish Grand National winner
- 'His pedigree is phenomenal and will drastically improve any mare' - behind the scenes at the National Stud
- From Azertyuiop to Galopin Des Champs - how French-breds have come to the fore at the festival and beyond
- 'I for sure didn’t want to breed sprinters' - meet the small breeders whose crowd-pleasing pair have ripped up the script