Hong Kong: Golden Sixty, Beauty Generation square off again in Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy Handicap

Beauty Generation once was the golden gelding of Hong Kong racing, but a horse of a different generation, Golden Sixty, has come to inherit the throne.

Golden Sixty, the young usurper, got a 17-pound weight break when he defeated Beauty Generation last month in the Celebration Cup Handicap over 1,400 meters. He won decisively, by 1 1/2 lengths, which meant Golden Sixty’s official rating rode eight points, to 120, so when the two horses meet again Sunday over 1,600 meters at Sha Tin in the Group 2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy Handicap, Golden Sixty gets only a 10-pound break, 133 to 123.

That still could be enough, but Beauty Generation, an 8-year-old warrior, might have needed his first run of the season, the Celebration Cup, more than 5-year-old Golden Sixty needed his. Golden Sixty, too, had a cleaner trip, and for their second meeting on Sunday, the pair line up adjacently in the starting gate, Beauty Generation and Zac Purton in post 5, Golden Sixty and Vincent Ho in post 6.

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Beauty Generation ran some truly excellent races in defeat during the 2019-20 Hong Kong season while winning three times from eight starts. His race record glitters less now than it did when he streaked to 10 wins in a row, including an 8-for-8 2018-19 campaign during which he won all but one of his starts by open lengths. John Moore trained Beauty Generation until this season, when he hit mandatory retirement age for Hong Kong trainers and left for Australia. Beauty Generation makes his second start for trainer David Hayes, though Purton has been his companion all along.

“There’s no doubt it’s going to be a much more even contest,” Purton told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity. “He still has the advantage at the weights, but I think it’ll be interesting this time.”

Golden Sixty has won 11 of his 12 Hong Kong starts, finishing second in his lone defeat and sweeping through the 4-year-old Championship Series last season. But taking on top older foes is a horse of a different color; that’s why Golden Sixty got so much weight last month and still gets a major break Sunday. Whether Golden Sixty, flashy win record or not, ever can achieve a performance level as high as Beauty Generation’s remains to be seen.

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There are 10 others in the Sunday feature, though this seems to strictly come down to the two leading lights. The big race goes as the seventh of 10, post time 4:10 a.m. Eastern on a card that begins at 12:45 a.m. Eastern. Set your alarm, have a bet, and tune in for live video at DRFBets.com.