Everyone I spoke to at Sha Tin on Monday felt they had been part of a day that stepped the season up to a new level and I completely agree with that view.
It was fantastic to see so many top horses in action for the first Group races of the campaign and I was really excited to see Beauty Generation return with such an amazing performance in the Celebration Cup.
This was an extremely strong Group 3 contest featuring no fewer than ten horses rated 110 or higher. The pace was solid, producing one of the fastest 1400m times recorded at Sha Tin in recent years, and Beauty Generation showed exactly why he was crowned Horse of the year last season with a dominant success for John Moore and Zac Purton.
A new rating of 132 means the handicappers believe Beauty Generation improved by 6lbs on his best mark from last season and takes him to a level that only the very best can ever aspire to. That new rating suggests he is very well equipped for another fine season at the top level, but I also felt that Ping Hai Star ran a wonderful race by coming home very strongly for second over his bare minimum distance.
Put simply, this was a case of Hong Kong’s Horse of the Year beating last season’s BMW Hong Kong Derby winner with some very strong rivals beaten fair and square in behind.
It was a wonderful showcase for the world-class racing Hong Kong has to offer and the theme of a proven top-class performer trying to give weight to an emerging star was on show again in a fascinating National Day Cup.
Ivictory and Hot King Prawn lined up with a combined record of 13 wins from 15 starts for John Size. They duly fought out a terrific finish with Hot King Prawn a worthy winner on the day, but Ivictory ran a heroic race for second when trying to concede 16lb to a highly progressive 1000m specialist.
Time will surely show that Ivictory faced a mighty task on handicap terms and both horses look sure to progress and have a major say in the big sprint races to come.
There was so much enjoy from start to finish of Monday’s card and it was good to see the exciting Little Giant come back from a long absence with such authority in the last race for David Hall.
His win completed a four timer for Zac but I also took great pleasure in seeing two of our apprentices – namely Dylan Mo and Victor Wong – in the winner’s enclosure aboard Green Energy and Land Grant.
Personally, I think results like this show the benefits of what we have put into Hong Kong’s apprentice system over the last five to ten years. Local jockeys like Derek Leung and Vincent Ho are doing well having emerged from that system and I firmly believe that our new apprentices coming through are very exciting.
My next stop is Paris for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting this weekend where I will be trying to find out which of the star European horses can take up the challenge of coming here for the LONGINES Hong Kong International Races on December 9th.
I am optimistic that we have a changing of the guard in Hong Kong with a strong group of up and coming stars, but we also have one formidable proven star who has yet to show his hand in a race this season.
Pakistan Star seems primed for another huge campaign after looking exceptional in his recent trial. Beauty Generation, Ping Hai Star, Hot King Prawn and Ivictory have already set the bar high and, with Pakistan star and others still to come, I truly believe the stage could be set for one of the most exciting LONGINES HKIR meetings we have ever seen.
Tonight, racing fans will continue to enjoy the Oktoberfest party in our Kwoon Chung Bus Race Night at the Happy Valley Racecourse, with the Kwoon Chung Bus Cup Handicap being our feature race of the night.
This Class 2 1800m handicap will be run as Race 7 and the expected pace is good with Packing Dragon and Insayshable expected to go forward to establish the tempo with the light weighted Pretty Bauhinia and Glorious Artist in close pursuit. Insayshable has been consistent since arriving from Ireland and is working well for his return to the races. He has run well first up in the past and is a win and place chance with Zac Purton taking the ride for John Size.
Glorious Artist has done his best work on dirt and synthetic surfaces but has been working well and comes into tonight’s test carrying a light weight. He should get every chance in here and is a place chance. Super Chic and Packing Dragon are Happy Valley specialists and must be considered as place chances over the course and distance.
On Monday, Hot King Prawn earned a $400,000 top-up in our High Achievement award structure to take his total bonus to $1.15 million. In this race tonight, Insayshable, Stimulation and Glorious Artist are eligible for an $850,000 High Achievement bonus for a potential win in Class 2 and a further $300,000 if they can continue on and win in Class 1 or above before January 1 when they become five year olds.
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