Mr. Stunning cemented his position as one of the top sprinters in Hong Kong, while Beauty Generation hinted he could join the elite division of Hong Kong milers in races Sunday at Sha Tin. Mr. Stunning won the Group 2, $512,250 Premier Bowl by a half-length over favored Lucky Bubbles, going 1,200 meters (about six furlongs) in 1:08.12 over a good-to-firm course. Amazing Kids finished another length back in third, while second choice Thewizardofoz raced last for much of the trip and never mounted much of a rally, coming home ninth. Trained by John Size and ridden by Nash Rawiller, Mr. Stunning is a 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Exceed and Excel and out of the Dayjur mare Fervour. He won three of four starts during his first season racing in Hong Kong, then rose further through the ranks during the 2016-17 Hong Kong season, winning four more races and placing in Group 1 competition. Mr. Stunning might not have cared for a wet course when finishing sixth Nov. 1 in his debut this racing season and came forward nicely on Sunday. Racing three wide but with cover around the Premier Bowl’s one right-handed turn, Mr. Stunning moved four or five paths wide after straightening for home and finished with good energy, making the lead over the pacesetting Fabulous One a half-furlong out. Mr. Stunning’s success was especially definitive since he carried the top weight of 133 pounds, 20 more, for instance, than Fabulous One. Lucky Bubbles, under 132 pounds, raced from farther off the pace than the winner but got a rail run for most of the trip, coming two wide to go past the tiring pacesetter while simply not quite as good as Mr. Stunning on the day. The highweights in the Group 2, $512,250 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy, however, could make no impact in a handicap dominated by horses racing from the front part of the field. Favored 133-pound highweight Beauty Only ran at the back of the pack but made little impact, checking in ninth as another Beauty horse, Beauty Generation, won his second straight race this season. Beauty Generation, trained by John Moore and ridden by K C Leung, broke sharply and went up two wide to press the pace of Winner’s Way. The top two, going legitimate splits, slugged it out to deep stretch, where Beauty Generation managed to wrest the lead from the pacesetter and hit the wire just before the fast-closing Booming Delight could reach him. Beauty Generation won by a head, with Booming Delight a half-length better than Jolly Banner, and Winner’s Way fourth by another half-length. Beauty Generation was timed in 1:33.56 for the 1,600 meters. A New Zealand-bred 5-year-old, Beauty Generation is by Road to Rock and out of Stylish Bel, by Bel Esprit. He won twice last season in Hong Kong while racing most effectively from off the pace in races at 1 1/4 miles and 1 5/16 miles, but Beauty Generation was sent to the front to win over one mile in his season debut Oct. 1 and confirmed that the tactical change and cutback in distance are working to his advantage in Sunday’s race. Beauty Generation’s rating was raised six points after his last win, and while he carried 15 pounds fewer than the top weight Sunday, that rating seems certain to rise again, along with Beauty Generation’s fortunes. Booming Delight, a 4-year-old Irish-bred gelding also trained by Moore, improved steadily through last season’s campaign, and after knocking off rust last out while making his first start in more than two months, he appears to be sitting on a productive winter campaign. Outside the group-level stakes competition, Nothinglikemore served notice that he will be a force in the 4-year-old stakes division this winter, posting an easy win in his season debut. Four for four last Hong Kong season, Nothinglikemore won a Class 2 handicap over 1,400 meters, the Sunday card’s nightcap, by two lengths. Nothinglikemore, trained by Size, had this race in the bag a furlong from the finish despite toting 132 pounds as the race’s highweight. :: Hong Kong: Free PPs, picks, and analysis