The Champions Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday provides another opportunity for the racing public to see the world’s highest rated miler Beauty Generation in action.
The former Australian galloper now under the care of leading Hong Kong trainer John Moore has won nine of his last 10 starts, the last eight in succession, including five group one victories, three of which came at Sunday’s trip of 1600m, a distance he has now won 10 of his 16 career wins over.
Since arriving in Hong Kong, Beauty Generation has raced 22 times for 14 wins earning over $HK74 million in stakes, but amazingly under Moore, the transformation from middle distance galloper to a sprinter/miler has seen a revelation taking his peak Timeform rating from 119 in Australia when third in the 2016 BMW over 2400m to 130 over 1600m in Hong Kong.
Trainer John Moore has done a great job keeping Beauty Generation in top form for such an extended period. He has been in work since October of 2018, but Moore has spaced his runs when he needed to in order to target feature races, then producing him on race day in peak form.
Such was the case last time out in the G2 Chairman’s Trophy where he was coming off a 49 day break.
According to race rider Zac Purton who has won 10 races atop the gelding, Beauty Generation faced a difficult run on that occasion but was still too classy for his rivals, many of whom he meets again on Sunday.
However, on Sunday, Beauty Generation comes off an ideal 21 day break and will be right at his top for the assignment which spells bad news for his rivals – only one of which has ever been able to defeat him in Hong Kong and that was Conte back in January of 2018.
That said the opposition to Beauty Generation is not strong with his six rivals managing just two group one wins between them.
While Conte is yet to prevail at that level, he does bring some excellent recent efforts behind Beauty Generation to the table.
Last start in the Chairman’s Trophy, Conte was below form however his previous two runs bore placings to Beauty Generation including being runner up in the Stewards Cup.
Champion rider Joao Moreira continues his association with Conte who should race handy.
Season’s Bloom is one of the other two group one winners in the race having added the 2018 Stewards Cup to his resume but despite being winless since that effort, he does profile well coming into the race fourth up from a spell.
Leading Australian rider Hugh Bowman takes the mount and a return to his peak Timeform rating of 119 would see him in the frame.
While there are no certainties in racing, Beauty Generation does rate as one, a win ensuring back to back wins in the Champions Mile and joining Xtension (2011/12), Able One (2007/10) and Bullish Luck (2005/6) as the only horses to have achieved the feat.
