Hong Kong has one of the greatest racehorses in the world and a depth of talent and international G1 races to be proud of.
That is one of many conclusions that can be drawn from this week’s LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, with our master miler Beauty Generation awarded a rating of 127, placing him as Hong Kong’s joint top-rated horse of all time with Able Friend and equal with the mighty Australian mare Winx in the 2018 mile division.
It is gratifying to see John Moore’s gelding rated so highly but just as important to note the path that Beauty Generation has taken and the way he has developed to reach the top.
He ran eight times in 2018, more than all bar one of the other horses in the top ten of the world rankings. He won three G1 contests and two G2 prizes and also did something that so few top-class horses are asked to do nowadays by winning two major handicaps giving large amounts of weight to strong rivals.
And, like so many champion athletes, Beauty Generation now gives off the strong impression that he knows exactly how good he is.
His body language seems to become more dominant or even arrogant with each success and when great horses like this stay in training racing fans the world over can develop a powerful emotional connection to them.
Looking at the bigger picture, it was especially pleasing to see that this year’s World’s Best Racehorse Rankings includes 25 Hong Kong-trained horses and that 11 of our 12 G1 contests were ranked in the World’s Top 100 G1 races.
That is a remarkable statistic from a horse population of less than 1,300 and, after a transitional year in 2017 with the retirement of several mature stars, we can now look forward to seeing more of Beauty Generation in 2019 and the development of new Hong Kong stars through races such as Sunday’s Classic Mile at Sha Tin.
The first leg of our Four-Year-Old series has a rich tradition, with names like Able Friend, Rapper Dragon, Beauty Only and Gold-Fun on its recent roll of honour.
Some exceptional horses have also come up just short in the Classic Mile, including Designs On Rome and Beauty Generation, and this year’s race features some very promising young horses indeed.
It appears to be a very open race this year. Ka Ying Star is likely to cross over from the outside gate to make the running along with Mission Tycoon. Easy Go Easy Win, Mr So And So and Furore will be in close contention. The pace will be moderate.
Last-start winner and top-rated Dark Dream, the current favourite for the BMW Hong Kong Derby, normally comes from the back but his trainer Frankie Lor indicated that they will try to position him in midfield. He recorded a dominant win in his last start at Class 2 level but comes back in distance from stall 12, which makes him more of a place than a win chance.
Superich looks like he will appreciate the mile, while Easy Go Easy Win is in good form and working well. He is a place chance along with the improving Mr So And So but Ka Ying Star is my first choice.
He has to push up from his outside draw but he impressed me on his debut in Hong Kong, making all clocking an impressive closing sectional under Vincent Ho. He was highly progressive in the UK and looks a very bright prospect.
In the G3 Centenary Vase over 1800 metres, full brothers Time Warp and Glorious Forever renew their rivalry for the fourth time this season. They last met in Hong Kong’s richest race, the $28 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup when Glorious Forever made full use of his inside draw to lead throughout in the 2000m test.
At 1800 metres, there is a much longer run to the first turn and these two rivals with similar running styles will battle for the early lead with Pingwu Spark in close pursuit. The pace will be good. Singapore Sling, a winner over the course and distance in last year’s Hong Kong Classic Cup, will be midfield along with Insayshable and Horse Of Fortune. The others will go back.
Glorious Forever trialed well on 8 January and has maintained his excellent form from his G1 win in December. He will set the pace and is a win and place chance in his current form.
Exultant returns off a win in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Vase over 2400 metres when ridden forwardly. He will be back in the field over this shorter trip and I would not be surprised to see Zac Purton make an early move to put him into the race. He is a place chance.
Insayshable and Dinozzo are both in light at the weights and are place chances. Insayshable will be well placed from his inside draw and Dinozzo won this same race last year when he made all the running. This year’s field is much tougher and Dinozzo will have to do his best work coming from the back.
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