Nifty Nine for ‘Beauty’ As Japan Trip Beckons

[Wandering Eyes]

Three of the four Hong Kong-based winners from December’s Longines Hong International Races meeting made an appearance on FWD Champions Day Sunday at Sha Tin–only Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) missed the event owing to injury–but as has been the case for much of the last 12 months, it was Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) who stole all the thunder.

The reigning Horse of the Year won his eighth consecutive race this season, a new record in Hong Kong, and his ninth race in succession overall. In successfully defending his title in the G1 FWD Champions Mile, where it all began in 2018, Beauty Generation surpasses former John Moore stablemate Viva Pataca (GB) (Marju {Ire}) as the most prolific money spinner in Hong Kong history, with now nearly HK$87 million in the bank, some HK$84 million of which has been earned locally.

“Definitely, it’s an amazing achievement,” said trainer John Moore of Sunday’s win, “for the stable and all the staff to be able to keep him up and sustain his fitness level to be able to win these races in such a facile fashion. And thanks to Hong Kong that we’ve had a champion in our midst and we’ve still got a champion miler and the whole world knows we’ve got one hell of a miler over here.”

With no foreign competition signed on, only the same pool of horses he’d been beating up on all season long, the task ahead of Beauty Generation was fairly straight-forward. Zac Purton kicked the 6-year-old gelding into the lead and when the opening 400 metres were posted in :25.33, it was the equine equivalent of a six-inch putt. From there, Purton gradually increased the speed on the pacemaker–he covered the next two sectionals in :22.96 and :22.98–and with the race already in safe keeping, took a confident look under his left arm pit at the 200m to see no threat was emerging. While never being asked for an effort, Beauty Generation was home in :22.36 to seal the deal, as Singapore Sling (SAf) (Philanthropist) rallied off a no-cover trip to be second ahead of Simply Brilliant (GB) (Frankel {GB}) in third.

If there was drama to be found post-race, it was the question of whether Beauty Generation could be headed to Japan for the G1 Yasuda Kinen in early June. The trainer is fully on board.

“I’d like to go to Japan but of course it is the owner’s call,” Moore said. “[Owner] Patrick [Kwok] and his father [Simon] will make the decision in time. As I said, it was a facile win today and I don’t think it took much out of him in the sense of it being such a long season and I still think there’s a lot left in the tank. Let’s go back to the drawing board and have a talk over dinner.”

Late Sunday, Purton tweeted that the odds of making the trip had “shortened dramatically…if a few minor details can be arranged” and that “the owner wants it.”

Should that overseas trip eventuate, he could meet the likes of Danon Premium (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and, possibly, Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}). No Hong Kong horse has won the Yasuda Kinen since Bullish Luck (Royal Academy) in 2006.

Win Bright Gives Japan Another QE II Cup…

In the 2015 G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, the unheralded A Shin Hikari (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) stunned the Hong Kong faithful with a front-running 37-1 upset over his compatriot Nuovo Record (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}). Win Bright (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}), similar in colour–and ultimately in starting price–to A Shin Hikari, was given a perfect ground-saving ride from 34-year-old Masami Matsuoka and punched through late to cause a 47-1 boilover. Favoured Exultant (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}) and Lys Gracieux (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Ire}) finished one ahead of the other, same as they did when running the quinella in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Vase in December. It was the third QE II win for Japan in the last seven years (Rulership, 2012; Neorealism, 2017) and fourth overall (Eishin Preston, 2002, 2003).

Exiting a successful defense of his title in the G2 Nakayama Kinen, in which he defeated last year’s G1 Mile Championship hero Stelvio (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) into third and last year’s G1 Hong Kong Cup runner-up Deirdre (Jpn) (Harbinger {GB}) into sixth, Win Bright was away well from the inside draw and eventually settled three back the fence as Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko) and his full-brother Glorious Forever (GB) renewed their sibling rivalry on the engine. The latter allowed Time Warp to stride into the lead with about seven furlongs to race, with defending champ and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal) enjoying the run of the race from third and Win Bright in his slipstream a bit further back. Lys Gracieux and Exultant improved with wide runs on the second turn, but back up front, Pakistan Star knifed through between the brothers to lead and it looked to be deja vu all over again. But Win Bright was still traveling in behind, split Hong Kong Derby winner Furore (NZ) (Pierro {Aus}) and Glorious Forever at the 300m, grabbed Pakistan Star inside the furlong and edged clear. Exultant rallied belatedly and just touched Lys Gracieux out of second. The final time established a new course record for the 2000m.

“This is the very best day!” said Matsuoka, who hadn’t ridden a Group 1 winner since the 2009 Tenno Sho (Spring). “He didn’t have good gate speed this time, but we found a good spot and the horse travelled nicely and that helped him run very well to the finish.”

Should all go well, Win Bright is a candidate for the Hong Kong Cup at year’s end, according to his connections.

Consistent As the Day Is Long…

Beat The Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) is that proverbial horse you’d like to have a barn full of and he continued his consistent ways with a tough defeat of the progressive Rattan (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) in the day’s first feature, the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize. Little Giant (NZ) (Swiss Ace {Aus}) ran a bold race from close up to be third.

The shape of the Chairman’s Sprint Prize was always a bit of an open question, and it was Rattan, who defeated Beat The Clock with a five-pound pull in the weights in the G2 Sprint Cup three weeks back, that showed the most early initiative. He was joined by the Japanese mare Nac Venus (Jpn) (Daiwa Major {Jpn}), the anointed the most likely leader by many, but only at the first corner, as Little Giant settled on the back of the front-runner and Beat the Clock in the one-by-one slot. Pulled out into the three path turning for home, Beat The Clock sprinted past Nac Venus and had to fight for it, given that he was slightly disadvantaged tactically, but he called upon his considerable class and was home first. The race’s tough-luck story was favoured G1 T J Smith S. hero Santa Ana Lane (Aus) (Lope de Vega {Ire}), who closed off in a race-fastest :21.50, but simply did not have the race run to suit and was a brave fourth.

It was a second Group 1 for Beat The Clock and strengthened his case for a season-ending title, but he has run his last race of the year, said trainer John Size, winning his third Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

“He is a joy to take to the races, that’s for sure, because he’s so consistent and such a willing participant,” Size said. “He’s come strong at five years of age and it should be his best season and he’s done that, he’s delivered with his two Group 1s.”

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
FWD QE II CUP-G1, HK$24,000,000 (£2,371,576/€2,747,421/A$4,365,205/US$3,059,815), Sha Tin, 4-28, 3yo/up, 2000mT, 1:58.81 (NCR), gd.
1–WIN BRIGHT (JPN), 126, h, 5, by Stay Gold (Jpn)
1st Dam: Summer Eternity (Jpn), by Admire Cozzene (Jpn)
2nd Dam: All for Guelain (Jpn), by Jade Robbery
3rd Dam: Miss Guelain (Jpn), by Maruzensky (Jpn)
O-Win Co Ltd; B-Cosmo View Farm; T-Yoshihiro Hatakeyama; J-Masami Matsuoka; HK$13,680,000. Lifetime Record: MGSW-Jpn, 18-8-2-0, HK$34,946,130. *Full to Win Fabulous (Jpn), G1SP-Jpn, $717,278. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
2–Exultant (Ire), 126, g, 5, Teofilo (Ire)–Contrary (Ire), by Mark of Esteem (Ire). O-Eddie Wong Ming Chak & Wong Leung Sau Hing; B-Ballygallon Stud Ltd; T-Tony Cruz; J-Zac Purton; HK$5,280,000.
3–Lys Gracieux (Jpn), 122, m, 5, Heart’s Cry (Jpn)–Liliside (Fr), by American Post (GB). O-Carrot Farm; B-Northern Farm; T-Yoshio Yahagi; J-Oisin Murphy; HK$2,400,000.
Margins: 3/4, NK, 3/4. Odds: 47-1, 8-5, 7-2.
Also Ran: Glorious Forever (GB), Pakistan Star (Ger), Deirdre (Jpn), Dark Dream (Aus), Dinozzo (Ire), Eagle Way (Aus), Furore (NZ), Time Warp (GB), Waikuku (Ire), Eminent (GB).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

Pedigree Notes:
A May foal, Win Bright is the ninth Group 1 winner for his sire, who took out the 2001 Hong Kong Vase in his career finale and is responsible for the likes of Horse of the Year Orfevre (Jpn) and champion and fan favourite Gold Ship (Jpn). The winner has a 2-year-old half-brother by the aforementioned Orfevre and Summer Eternity was most recently covered by Deep Impact (Jpn) after missing to the Shadai stallion for 2018.

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
FWD CHAMPIONS MILE-G1, HK$18,000,000 (£1,778,510/€2,060,135/A$3,272,608/US$2,294,763), Sha Tin, 4-28, 3yo/up, 1600mT, 1:33.63, gd.
1–BEAUTY GENERATION (NZ), 126, g, 6, by Road to Rock (Aus)
1st Dam: Stylish Bel (Aus), by Bel Esprit (Aus)
2nd Dam: Stylish Victory (Aus), by Durham Ranger
3rd Dam: Romantic Peace (Aus), by Mikado
(NZ$60,000 Ylg ’14 NZBJAN). O-Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen; B-Nearco Stud Ltd; T-John Moore; J-Zac Purton; HK$10,260,000. Lifetime Record: Horse of the Year & Ch. Miler-HK, G1SP-Aus, 30-17-3-4, HK$86,960,720. *Formerly Montaigne (NZ). Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*.
2–Singapore Sling (SAf), 126, g, 5, Philanthropist–Sing Dixie Sing (SAf), by Western Winter. (R225,000 Ylg ’15 CAPJAN). O-Nikki Ng Mien Hua; B-Drakenstein Stud (Nom: Mrs G A Rupert); T-Tony Millard; J-Karis Teetan; HK$3,960,000.
3–Simply Brilliant (GB), 126, g, 5, Frankel (GB)–Red Bloom (GB), by Selkirk. O-Simply Brilliant Syndicate; B-Cheveley Park Stud Ltd; T-Frankie Lor; J-Oisin Murphy; HK$1,800,000.
Margins: 1HF, HF, 1HF. Odds: 1-20, 20-1, 36-1.
Also Ran: Seasons Bloom (Aus), Rise High (Fr), Romantic Touch (Aus), Conte (Aus).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
CHAIRMAN’S SPRINT PRIZE-G1, HK$16,000,000 (£1,580,888/€1,831,128/A$2,909,731/US$2,039,758), Sha Tin, 4-28, 3yo/up, 1200mT, 1:08.26, gd.
1–BEAT THE CLOCK (AUS), 126, g, 5, by Hinchinbrook (Aus)
1st Dam: Flion Fenena (Aus) (GSP-Aus), by Lion Hunter (Aus)
2nd Dam: Fenena (NZ), by Crested Wave
3rd Dam: On the Wind (NZ), by Sea Anchor (Ire)
(A$70,000 Ylg ’15 INGMAR; NZ$200,000 2yo ’15 NZBRTR). O-Merrick Chung Wai Lik; B-Miss J Henderson (NSW); T-John Size; J-Joao Moreira; HK$9,120,000. Lifetime Record: 21-8-8-5, HK$34,972,775. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk Nick Rating: A. *Triple Plus*.
2–Rattan (NZ), 126, g, 5, Savabeel (Aus)–Grand Princess (Aus), by Last Tycoon (Ire). (NZ$150,000 Ylg ’15 NZBJAN). O-Wong Ting Bor; B-M H S & S H R Davison & Mrs M P Schick; T-Richard Gibson; J-Chad Schofield; HK$3,520,000.
3–Little Giant (NZ), 126, g, 6, Swiss Ace (Aus)–Princess Carolina (Aus), by More Than Ready. (NZ$52,500 RNA Ylg ’14 NZBJAN). O-Wizard Syndicate; B-G Harvey; T-David Hall; J-Vincent Ho; HK$1,600,000.
Margins: HF, NK, 1HF. Odds: 7-5, 79-10, 25-1.
Also Ran: Santa Ana Lane (Aus), Pingwu Spark (NZ), Nac Venus (Jpn), Winner’s Way (Aus), Viddora (Aus), Enzo’s Lad (Aus). Scratched: Mr Stunning (Aus).
Click for the HKJC.com chart, PPs and sectional timing. VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.

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