The last few days have been hugely informative in terms of shaping possible storylines for FWD Champions Day on 28 April.
Nothing can be taken for granted when good horses are being prepared for a major international event but, for the most part, connections of the stars will be well pleased with what they saw last weekend.
Beauty Generation’s team will certainly be content after our master miler made it eight major wins in a row with a typically bold front-running performance in the Chairman’s Trophy at Sha Tin.
Very few horses at the top level can run each sectional faster than the last but Beauty Generation can and did so again on Sunday, coming home in 22.46s without being hard ridden even though his previous 400m split of 22.50s was the fastest third quarter he has ever run over a mile.
That data tells us we have a champion at the peak of his powers as he prepares to capture the FWD Champions Mile again in just over two weeks and connections of Eagle Way and Pakistan Star will also take heart from the way they shaped in second and third as they work towards a clash with Exultant and some high-class Japanese challengers in the FWD QEII Cup.
The face of the sprint division took on a fascinating new complexion because of events both here and almost 5,000 miles away in Sydney over the weekend.
Sunday’s G2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin was billed as another round in the long-running battle between Mr Stunning and Beat The Clock but Rattan crashed the party for Richard Gibson and Chad Schofield in a dramatic finish.
The winner was helped by the fact that the two G1 winners were carrying penalties and the times show that Mr Stunning and Beat The Clock probably went too hard in the middle section of the race after a very slow first 400m.
All three will get another chance to shine again at the top level later this month, but Santa Ana Lane has emerged as a danger to all after his dominant success at Randwick on Saturday.
The record books show that Chautauqua is the only international raider to take the Chairman’s Sprint Prize away from Hong Kong.
That brilliant grey used a win in Randwick’s T J Smith Stakes as his springboard to Hong Kong glory in 2016 and the way that Santa Ana Lane powered clear of proven G1 rivals in the same race on Saturday indicates that we have another exceptional Aussie sprinter heading our way for Champions Day this year.
Much of the focus at Happy Valley this Wednesday will centre around whether Zac Purton can ride the two winners he requires to reach his century for the season.
The champion partners Dream Come True for the first time in the Hong Kong Exchanges Challenge Cup over 1000m and this very speedy gelding looks a win and place chance from stall 2 after a strong course and distance second.
California Argent finished strongly for third in the same race and will be dangerous if he can hold an early position from the inside gate. He is a place chance but it is also worth keeping a close eye on Telecom Puma, who has shown good pace in two runs over 1200m at the Valley and looks poised to improve again back over this shorter trip.
Zac is back aboard Seven Heavens in the Class 3 Dongcheng District Handicap over 1200m. This gelding is a tricky ride but has a lot of ability and was very unlucky when badly hampered on his latest start at Sha Tin. He may end up back in the field requiring luck in running again from stall 9 but has to be high on the short list given his current form.
Speedy King is nicely drawn in stall 4 and can be relied on to run another honest race after a game win over 1000m, while Starlight drops back to Class 3 and has stall 1 as he bids for an eighth success over course and distance.
Both horses are place chances but pace could well be an important factor here. Speed Vision looks very likely to lead and may not be pressured too hard from stall 3. His latest run is best ignored – as he was carried very wide from stall 10 – but he has won a strong trial since and is a win and place chance if back to the form he showed when breaking the Class 3 track record over 1200m in February.
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