RECORDS SHATTERED AT SHA TIN RACECOURSE, HONG KONG

RECORD BREAKING BEAUTY GENERATION IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE TO HIS RIVALS

– Steve Moran

It’s not often the highest praise for a major race winner comes from the trainer of the runner-up. But that was the case after Beauty Generation’s course record breaking win in the G2 BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Mile, with Caspar Fownes describing the winner as becoming “Winx-like.” Mind you, winning trainer John Moore wasn’t short of glowing endorsements either and without reservation mentioned Beauty Generation in the same breath as his former champion Able Friend, the 2014/15 Hong Kong Horse of the Year – a title Beauty Generation claimed last season. “He was like Able Friend. He reminded me of Able Friend, making the big run and scooting clear from the turn. He’s proved he’s a champion. He had to make two runs out there after it was like the charge of the Light Brigade early and people around the world now will stand up and take notice that there is a very good miler here in Hong Kong,” Moore said.

Fownes, whose charge Southern Legend was beaten three lengths into second, is all but conceding December’s G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile to last year’s winner and the world’s highest rated specialist miler who well and truly ratified that lofty international rating of 126 as he bettered Good Ba Ba’s near ten-year-old track record (running a blistering 1m 32.64s). “The winner is absolutely incredible,” said Fownes, “to shatter a record like that – and to do it the way he did, drifting out like that. He did it the hard way. He’s becoming Winx-like and in a different league to these horses he’s beaten today.”

Beauty Generation hasn’t quite matched the 29 straight wins of Australian champion Winx but is now looking almost as invincible with eight wins from his past 11 starts, this season and last, and now four on the trot. “His ratings go through the roof each time he steps out,” Fownes said of Beauty Generation who sustained a three-length margin despite laying out badly in the straight.
So, if Moore’s rival trainer is already despairing about his or anybody else’s hope of usurping the Patrick Kwok-owned gelding in December’s LONGINES Hong Kong Mile then the news only gets worse. “He had a few shoeing issues coming into this race,” Moore said, “but we have three weeks to sort them out, which we will.”

Winning jockey Zac Purton, who was entitled to a few plaudits of his own for a clever tactical ride, was also effusive in his praise for the winner. “He’s obviously a very good horse who continues to turn out in better and better shape every time,” he said. Purton elected to ease out of the early speed battle on a horse who generally goes forward. “They ran the first half mile (800 metres) ridiculously fast and I was happy to let them burn themselves out and then to roll forward around them when they backed it off,” he said. The beaten jockeys, aboard key rivals, unsurprisingly could offer no excuses. Douglas Whyte, onSouthern Legend, said: “my horse has run very, very well.” Neil Callan said Beauty Only ran a “good honest race” while Chad Schofield felt that Singapore Sling “boxed on well”.

Fownes, of course, is still looking forward to December. “I’ve planned my guy to peak at the right time and he’s shown us that today. He’s still run very well in pinching second place. He’ll improve going into the big day but right now it looks a race for second place and I’ll take second place for that prize money. He’s getting better, I’ve saved some improvement into the big day but he’s going to need it because that winner is something else.”

TRACK RECORD FOR EAGLE WAY AS BIG GUNS BURN OUT IN JOCKEY CLUB CUP

– David Morgan

Eagle Way set John Moore a quandary after swooping to an upset win in a dramatic renewal of the HK$4.25 million G2 BOCHK Jockey Club Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin Racecourse. The trainer had the proven stayer set squarely towards the HK$20 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase (2400m), over two furlongs farther, in three weeks’ time. But that plan could be scrapped in favour of a 2000m back-up in the biggest race in town, the HK$28 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup, a race for which today’s 12/1 victor does not yet hold an entry. “We haven’t decided whether we run in the Vase over 2400 (metres) or the Cup over 2000 (metres),” Moore revealed after the six-year-old scored under Silvestre de Sousa, a length ahead of runner-up Exultant. “We’ll put in a supplementary entry for the Cup before deadline tomorrow and I’ll talk it over with the owner, Mr. Siu, whether we run. I’m hearing that the Cup might be an option worth considering.”

Following his stable star Beauty Generation’s incredible track record success in the G2 Jockey Club Mile one race prior, Moore was bubbling upon learning that Eagle Way had clocked the fastest 2000m in Sha Tin’s history. “This is the track record, too,” he called to his wife, Fifi. “We hold two of them – excellent. I feel like Lewis Hamilton today! “The way they went early, it set it up for closers and that fell right into the hands of Exultant and Eagle Way,” he added. Eagle Way’s time of 1m 59.30s shaved 0.23s off Glorious Forever’s previous record mark.

A frenetic early pace certainly aided Eagle Way and the Tony Cruz-trained Exultant, another with a LONGINES Hong Kong Vase engagement on 9 December. But it cost the pace-setters dearly.
Time Warp burst to the lead under Zac Purton, as scripted; the Joao Moreira-ridden Glorious Forever harried the leader, while Pakistan Star, under Karis Teetan, attempted to chase three wide.
All three faltered on the turn for home to finish last of nine, sixth and eighth, respectively, after Time Warp towed the field through searching fractions of 24.84s, 22.68s and 23.81s, clocking 1m 11.33s for the first 1200m. “He had no chance today with Glorious Forever driving us mad like he did,” Purton said of Time Warp’s effort. That early heat set it up for Moore’s “Eagle” to swoop with a closing 400m timed at 23.36s and seal the trainer a sixth Jockey Club Cup victory. It was British champion jockey de Sousa’s first Pattern race win in Hong Kong.

Moore secured a treble on the day with the improving three-year-old Styling City taking the 1000m Class 3 dash. The handler clearly has his string in fine form and Eagle Way, the 2016 G1 Queensland Derby (2400m) winner, is at his Hong Kong peak.

PRAWN PROVES THE KING FOR RETURNING MOREIRA

– Graham Cunningham

A rampant new star and a returning older one combined in perfect harmony at Sha Tin as Hot King Prawn and Joao Moreira landed the G2 BOCHK Wealth Management Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) in dynamic all-the-way fashion. Moreira, who left for Japan in July only to find his new career plans thwarted by a failed written test, was back at Sha Tin just 24 hours after being granted a six-month licence to return to Hong Kong as stable jockey to John Size. He took the leg up on Hot King Prawn after an undistinguished start to the day – with no placings from his first six rides – but the Brazilian was all smiles again after Hot King Prawn took his record to nine wins from 10 attempts. “It’s such a pleasure to be back riding a horse like this for John,” he said. “He was so fast out of the gate and when I asked him to go in the straight I was always confident that he could hold on.”

Hot King Prawn’s chances of holding on were increased considerably by the fact that Moreira was able to secure the lead without using up anything like as much energy as the early leaders in the previous two G2 contests on the card had to expend. The freewheeling grey put his nearest pursuer Ivictory in trouble as he stretched for home early in the home straight and opened up a lead of a couple of lengths soon after. Mr Stunning and Karis Teetan found full stride in the final 150m, but Moreira had judged things perfectly on the winner, who hit the line with half a length to spare in a time of 1m 08.59s. The winner’s stablemate Beat The Clock stayed on willingly after a lengthy break to finish an honourable third with Winner’s Way in fourth, but things didn’t go well for the rest of the Size quintet as Ivictory, Premiere and D B Pin filled the last three places.

Size has proved a master at bringing unraced sprinters through the ranks to compete at the top level but still hailed Hot King Prawn as “a very unusual horse” as he reflected on his latest big win. “He’s made gradual improvement and keeps coming up with the goods,” he added. “We keep turning him out but he helps himself both at home and at the races.” Size is well aware that Hot King Prawn’s last two successes have come without too much pace pressure and that a new set of rivals may offer something different when he bids to land the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) on 9 December.

“Pressure for the lead is a concern and I’m sure someone will come up with a plan, but I think this horse can adapt. I haven’t had a chance to check the other horses yet but Silvestre (de Sousa) was very happy with Beat The Clock and he should improve for today’s run.” Connections of those who chased the winner home in this dress rehearsal for the Hong Kong Sprint will be well aware that only one Jockey Club Sprint winner in the last decade has gone on to follow up in the December showpiece. That one horse was Mr Stunning last year and Teetan, who felt that a bump from Ivictory harmed his cause, is relishing the chance to take on Hot King Prawn on better terms next month. He said: “Zac’s horse smashed into him and he fell back half a length but he got his momentum late and hit the line strong.”

De Sousa felt that the lack of a searching pace wasn’t ideal for Beat The Clock and feels “he could be a very smart horse for next time,” but Purton remains in the dark about why Ivictory has failed to shine this season and conceded that “he just doesn’t seem at his best at the moment.” No such comment applies to Hot King Prawn and Mr Stunning and the stage is now set perfectly for round three back at Sha Tin in three weeks’ time. The record reflects that Hot King Prawn came out on top by a length and a quarter when receiving 11lb in the Premier Bowl and by just half a length when receiving 5lb today.

Level weights will apply when Mr Stunning attempts to join Falvelon, Silent Witness, Sacred Kingdom, Lord Kanaloa and Aerovelocity as dual winners of the Hong Kong Sprint, but Moreira has ample faith in his new best friend. The Brazilian, who completed a treble in the last two races aboard Raging Storm and Noble Steed, said: “Hot King Prawn is a lovely horse and today he gave me the feeling that he’s a star, so I’m really looking forward to what is next.” Aren’t we all, Joao, aren’t we all?