Home town hero Beauty Generation was looking for his third straight win in the Hong Kong Mile, a feat only ever achieved before by Good Ba Ba. However there appeared to be chinks in what previously appeared to be impenetrable armour, with him going down in his last two starts. Waikuku who beat him last start, appeared to be the next best of the locals.
The Japanese had bought a strong contingent, current champion Miler Indy Champ and three year old Admire Mars, who was the dominant two year old of his crop. At the jump Beauty Generation and Indy Champ were equal favourites.
As expected both Ka Ying Star and Beauty Generation jumped well, with the Purton settling on the outer of Ka Ying Star and Karis Teetan. Admire Mars took a spot mid-field and Indy Champ behind him, with Waikuku in the final pair.
Beauty Generation kicked at the top of the straight, but that dominating sprint of days gone by was not apparent. The challengers came quickly – Admire Mars, Waikuku and Normcore all pressed claims. However it was Christophe Soumillion and and Admire Mars who hit the frame from Waikuku and Joao Moreira, with Beauty Generation holding on for third.
“I knew my horse was very strong, although his last run wasn’t that good,” Soumillon said. “He was the best two-year-old last year in Japan, probably the best three-year-old in Japan too. “I knew he could stay that distance quite well, he has good gate speed, he liked the ground, so I was quite happy. I told the lad before the race when I saw the odds on the screen ‘there’s something wrong there because for me he should be in the first four favourites’. I rode my race as if he was the favourite and it paid off.”
Trainer Yusuo Tomomichi – “I did think this was going to be a difficult race for a three-year-old to win, but when I saw how he had settled here earlier this week, I thought that he looked really well,” he said.
“Christophe Soumillon had asked to ride the horse, and he gave him a very good ride.”
He continued: “We were all going to wear the same suit and tie together, so it still feels as if Mr Kondo is with us watching the race. He was a big supporter for me for a long time, he had many good horses, and he was a very good person.”
Of Beauty generation, John Moore commented “He was gallant in defeat,” said Moore. “In his last two runs he hasn’t been hitting the line as we’d expect. That’s what Zac said and he confirmed that.
“He’s just not going through the gears when he gets into the straight and he did it again today. The Stewards’ Cup will be his next Group 1 race and we’ll take it race by race from there.”
Thanks to the HKJC team for quotes from connections.
