Beauty Generation Named Hong Kong Horse of the Year

[Wandering Eyes]

Despite a late-season push by ‘TDN Rising Star’ Pakistan Star (Ger) (Shamardal), Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock {Aus}) has claimed Horse of the Year honors for the 2017-2018 season in Hong Kong.

The 5-year-old gelding was rewarded for his consistency at the top level throughout the season, having won the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile in December, the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) in February and the G1 Champions Mile (video) in late April. A remarkable sixth consecutive Horse of the Year for trainer John Moore, the former G1 Rosehill Guineas runner-up while under the care of Anthony Freedman also annexed the G2 Sha Tin Trophy H. (1600m) and the G3 Celebration Cup H. (1400m). Beauty Generation was also named champion miler.

“I brought him back from what we thought was a 2000m-horse and made him a miler and here we are enjoying the fruits of all his successes on the stage of Horse of the Year–it’s amazing,” Moore told South China Morning Post. “It gives me incredible satisfaction that this is my sixth in succession, we’re buying the right horses and in turn the stable is doing the right thing and winning the big ones.”

The enigmatic Tony Cruz-trained Pakistan Star finally put his rogue behaviour in the past en route to barnstorming victories in the G1 Audemars Piguet Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) and the G1 Standard Chartered Champions and Chater Cup (2400m) and was named champion stayer in addition to the most popular horse.

Time Warp (GB) (Archipenko) also represented the Cruz yard in 2017 and 2018 with towering, front-running scores over the Sha Tin 2000 metres in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup and the G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup and was duly recognized at the champion middle-distance horse. In besting former Horse of the Year Werther (NZ) (Tavistock {NZ}) in the latter event, Time Warp became the first to break two minutes for the distance, clocking a time of 1:59.97.

It was an embarrassment of riches for trainer John Size in the sprint division, in which the stable’s progressive G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize hero Ivictory (Aus) (Mossman {Aus}) was given the nod over his mates the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint victor Mr Stunning (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) and D B Pin (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}), who landed the G1 Centenary Sprint Prize. Ivictory was also the most improved horse in Hong Kong, having shot up to a joint-highest local rating of 128 after beginning the season on 75. With one meeting remaining, Size has amassed 87 winners, easily outdistancing former assistant and first-season trainer Frankie Lor (63) to secure a 10th title as champion trainer.

The Danny Shum-trained Pick Number One (NZ) (Darci Brahma {NZ}) was named champion griffin after winning five times from seven starts, all on the Sha Tin all-weather track.

Joao Moreira was named most popular jockey, but stands to be dethroned in the jockeys’ premiership by Zac Purton, who holds a four-win lead with only Sunday’s season-closing program remaining.

WATCH: Beauty Generation winning the G1 Champions Mile

 

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