When an offer of $500,000 arrived from Hong Kong for his unraced two-year-old Lord Of The Sky, trainer Robbie Laing had the horse in a trailer and was just about on the way to the airport.

"I couldn't get the deal done quick enough," Laing said.

But the sale was called off after a group of Laing's owners stepped in and matched the offer in a bid to keep the horse in Australia.

At Caulfield on Saturday their move had what looks like being the first of many rewards as Lord Of The Sky ran away with the Procal Dairies Handicap (1000m).

Laing said the Hong Kong offer came after the Lord Of The Sky trialled brilliantly at Werribee, confirming the opinion he already had of the colt.

"I knew he was smart, but when you get enough like that, you take it," he said.

"He was on his way to Hong Kong, he was going."

Laing ultimately sold 60 per cent of the colt to the group of 16 owners, keeping the remainder for him and his wife.

"It was a win-win deal all round - I owned his mother and had a free service to the stallion," Laing said.

Having only his second start, Lord Of The Sky ($8.50) jumped straight to the front and enjoyed an easy run under Kayla Nisbet before strolling to a 3-1/2 length win over the favourite Monkstone ($3) with a further 1-1/4 lengths to Gallant Express ($17).

Lord Of The Sky is Laing's sixth individual two-year-old winner of the season and will press on for at least one more run before being spelled.