Hong Kong: Beauty Generation, Purton team up again in Stewards' Cup
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
As a partnership, Beauty Generation and jockey Zac Purton are unbeaten in the last year, winning six group stakes in Hong Kong. A seventh win is widely expected in Sunday’s Group 1 Stewards’ Cup at Sha Tin Racecourse.
Last month, Purton guided Beauty Generation to a three-length win in the Group 1 Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin, beating a field that included several international runners.
The Hong Kong Horse of the Year for the 2017-18 season, Beauty Generation will be favored to win his sixth consecutive stakes in Sunday’s $1.27 million Stewards’ Cup at a mile against five accomplished local rivals.
Trained by John Moore, Beauty Generation tends to run near the front and is well drawn in post 5 in the Stewards’ Cup.
Thursday at Sha Tin, Beauty Generation had his final pre-race workout, going about a half-mile in 53.90 seconds on turf, including a final quarter-mile in 25.60 seconds, according to Hong Kong Jockey Club clockers.
“He’s going into the race in perfect shape, if not better than he’s ever been,” Moore told Hong Kong publicists. “He’s relaxed in his work. He’s a happy horse, and we couldn’t be happier.”
Beauty Generation, a 6-year-old New Zealand-bred gelding, won the 2017 Hong Kong Mile but was seventh in the 2018 Stewards’ Cup. Beauty Generation later won two Group 1 races in Hong Kong in early 2018 – the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup in February and the Champions Mile in April.
In Sunday’s race, Beauty Generation’s main threat is Conte, who will have his Group 1 debut after winning 7 of 9 starts, all for trainer John Size. Conte won his group stakes debut in the Group 3 Chinese Club Challenge Cup at seven furlongs at Sha Tin on Jan. 1.
Joao Moreira will ride Conte, a 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding who tends to run as a stalker.
The field includes Pakistan Star, winner of consecutive Group 1 races at 1 1/4 miles and 1 1/2 miles last April and May. Pakistan Star is winless in four starts this season.
Earlier on the program, Mr Stunning, D B Pin, and Beat the Clock, the first three finishers in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint in December, are part of a field of eight in the Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup at six furlongs on turf.
D B Pin, trained by Size, won the 2018 Centenary Sprint Cup, which has a value of $1.27 million this year. D B Pin was ninth in the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint at six furlongs in November and was beaten three-quarters of a length by Mr Stunning in the Hong Kong Sprint at six furlongs.