Rise High upsets Beauty Generation in Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy

Of course, the expectation was that the Group 2, $514,875 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy on Sunday in Hong Kong would go off like clockwork. Beauty Generation was in the race and on the face of things the Hong Kong champion would win the Oriental Watch – because Beauty Generation never loses. But this time, the mechanism was fouled, the gears didn’t quite click, and both Rise High, who won by a neck, and Waikuku handed Beauty Generation his first loss in 10 starts dating back to April 2018.

Probably it was a combination of weight and racing circumstances that got Beauty Generation beat Sunday, but consider, too, the horse is a 7-year-old now, and one who has knocked out 14 Group stakes victories since the start of the 2017-18 Hong Kong season. Perhaps his second hand is not quite ticking quite as quickly as it once did.

That’s a question for coming months, but as for Sunday's 1600-meter race, Beauty Generation broke smartly from an inside draw under Zac Purton but was outrun to the lead, his preferred spot, by Ka Ying Star and Glorious Forever. That left Beauty Generation racing inside and behind Ka Ying Star, and Beauty Generation wasn’t happy about it, throwing his head a couple times and pulling too hard on Purton’s reins. Purton deftly guided Beauty Generation outside the two leaders at the end of the race’s one turn, but even when Beauty Generation attacked the lead pair and made the front, it wasn’t with his typically ruthless efficiency. Waikuku had swished into action from field’s tail and followed Beauty Generation’s move, coming outside him as Rise High, also rallying from the back, made an even wider run in the clear. With 200 meters to run Beauty Generation had been put away and it was left to the two upstarts to settle things, Rise High just doing slightly better work in the closing yards.

The win margin was narrow, but third-place Beauty Generation trailed the top two home by 2 1/4 lengths. Winning time over good-to-firm going was a swift 1:32.82. The winner carried 119 pounds, four more than Waikuku’s 115 but 14 fewer than Beauty Generation, severely burdened by his handicap. Beauty Generation runs back next month in the Jockey Club Mile and trainer John Moore is eager to get his charge back in a weight-for-age race.

Caspar Fownes trains the winner, who major near term goal is either the Hong Kong Cup over 2000 meters or the Hong Kong Vase over 2400, both races part of the Hong Kong International Races in December. Ridden Sunday by Vincent Ho, Rise High is a 5-year-old French-bred by Myboycharlie out of Lana Girl, by Arch.

Earlier on the card, Seasons Bloom won a three-horse photo over runner-up Full of Beauty and third-place Wishful Thinker to capture the Group 2, $514,875 Premier Bowl Handicap over 1200 meters. Seasons Bloom ended a 12-race losing streak and appears to have found a home in six-furlong sprints since trainer Clifford Shum cut him back to that trip this season for the first time in about two years.