Super Sunday at Sha Tin for Karaka Graduates

Karaka graduates enjoyed a spectacular day at Sha Tin on Sunday, winning five races including both Group Two features.

Beauty Generation (NZ) Breaks HK$100 Million Barrier

Two-time Horse of the Year Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road to Rock) had already cemented his place in Hong Kong racing folklore, but the champion miler broke new ground in Sunday’s HK$4.25 million Group Two Chairman’s Trophy (1600m) at Sha Tin.

With the 20th win of his 37-start career, the superstar took his earnings past HK$100 million – the first horse to ever reach that mark in Hong Kong. He has now earned more than 366 times his $60,000 purchase price at the 2014 Select Sale at Karaka.

“That’s a target to set,” trainer John Moore said. “The prize-money will have to go up for another horse to ever do that.”

Beauty Generation rose to the top of the world rankings with 10 consecutive victories between April 2018 and October of last year, but some suspected his star might be on the wane when he was defeated in four races over the summer.

He bounced back to winning form in the Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) in February, and Sunday was more of the same.

Ridden by his regular partner Zac Purton, the seven-year-old sat in second place before moving forward in the straight to challenge the front-running Ka Ying Star (Cityscape).

That runner fought back hard on Beauty Generation’s inside, with Southern Legend (Not a Single Doubt) finishing strongly on his other side. But the champion fought them off and edged away to win by half a length.

“The most pleasing part was at the 200-metre mark when they challenged him and he fought them off,” Purton said. “He’s got a little bit of spark about him again.”

Sunday’s win was Beauty Generation’s 16th victory at black-type level. He has won eight Group One races, and has the chance to make it nine later this month in the FWD Champions Mile (1600m) on April 26.

“He’s done that nicely leading into the Champions Mile,” Moore said. “He’s 100% right now, so I’ve just got to carry that through the next three weeks.

“It was a very nice win, the tempo was absolutely perfect and everything went to plan. My fellow wasn’t hit, it was hands and heels, so it’s a good sign for the Champions Mile – everything is positive.”

Beauty Generation was bred by Nearco Stud and was raised and sold by Highden Park.

Vendor	Highden Park
Purchaser	Hermes Syndications (Waikato)
Breeding	Road to Rock – Stylish Bel
Sale	Lot 835, 2014 Select Sale, $60,000
Bred by	Nearco Stud Ltd

 
Voyage Warrior All the Way in Sprint Cup

Up-and-comer Voyage Warrior (Declaration of War) collected the biggest win of his short career with a bold front-running performance in Sunday’s HK$4.25 million Group Two Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin.

Bought for $55,000 at the 2017 Select Sale at Karaka and $280,000 at the Ready to Run Sale later that year, Voyage Warrior went into Sunday’s race as the winner of four of his nine starts. The Sprint Cup was his first start at black-type level, and he impressively rose to the occasion.

The four-year-old was ridden by Vincent Ho, bursting out of the gate and taking up an unexpected front-running role. That was where he stayed, keeping himself well out of the reach of his seven rivals and winning by three-quarters of a length.

“It wasn’t the plan to lead, but he pinged the gate and everyone else was holding,” Ho said. “They didn’t want to lead, so I just gave him a soft lead. He was so relaxed in front, and he ran home strongly.”

Trained by Ricky Yiu, Voyage Warrior has now won five of his 10 starts and more than HK$6.18 million in stakes. That is the equivalent of NZ$1.35 million, which is 24 times his purchase price at the Select Sale and almost five times his Ready to Run Sale price.

“He’s maturing, he’s improving and each time he’s gone over 1200 metres he’s run better,” Yiu said.

“He’ll be up against the same horses in the Group One (Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) on April 26). He’s going to go up a lot in the ratings, but it doesn’t matter now. He’s in the Group races.”

Vendor	Select Sale: Henley Park Ready to Run Sale: JK Farm
Purchaser	Select Sale: The Robt Dawe Agency (Auckland) Ready to Run Sale: Mr R Yiu (Hong Kong)
Breeding	Declaration of War – Chaleur
Sale	Lot 598, 2017 Select Sale, $55,000 Lot 61, 2017 Ready to Run Sale, $280,000
Bred by	Mr RA Emery, NSW