Ping Hai Star continued Highden Park's impressive international strike rate on Sunday when he became the fifth New Zealand-bred winner of the Hong Kong Derby (2000m) in the last decade.
The 4-year-old is the latest Group One graduate of Sam and Libby Bleakley's boutique Manawatu nursery, whose roll of honour includes former Derby winner Werther and the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) winner Beauty Generation, who raced as Montaigne in Australia.
He is a son of Nom du Jeu, who won the Group 1 Australian Derby (1400m) from the Cambridge stable of Murray Baker for long-time supporter Billie Morton, of Queensland.
Ping Hai Star is out of the Encosta de Lago mare Vicky, also the dam of the Baker-trained Group 2 Wellington Guineas (1500m) winner Neo.
Morton's son Glenn and wife Lisa bred Ping Hai Star, who was raised at Highden but failed to meet his $40,000 reserve when offered at the 2015 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale and was retained by the Mortons as a racing prospect.