In Hong Kong Beauty Generation is the best race horse.
He’s so good he’s a deadset national superstar.
No question, and he showed it again leading all the way at Gr 1 level in super fast time at Sha Tin last weekend.
Champion jockey Zac Purton regularly rides him and when interviewed today said that the only way he can be beaten in Hong Kong is, “if he turned up and had a bad day.
“He has raced the very best over here quite often now and he simply has their measure every time,” said Purton.
And that always pleases when spoken earnestly and honestly about a champion. But after waxing lyrical about the star, the inevitable question was asked of the rider. Is he up to beating Winx?
Purton’s response was dripping in his admiration for the HK superstar but was also very much governed by what he knows to be racing fact: “Look, I think over a mile he would make her work a bit for it, but in reality her form and ratings are higher than his and I believe she would be too good for him.”
And just like that, all the 1000s of questions asked on social media over the past 3 days have been answered.
Winx is Winx – the GOAT.
Of course Beauty Generation (Road To Rock-Stylish Bel) is a serious superstar, no-one disclaims that here, but he wasn’t always know as Beauty Generation.
He was purchased as a yearling by the Hermes Syndication and Anthony Cummings.
And he began his career in Australia, not Hong Kong where he was very talented right from the word go.
Outstanding NSW provincial rider Mitchell Bell remembers him well as he was the first jock to ever win a race on him.
“I rode him in a maiden at Warwick Farm as a 3YO,” Bell recalled. “It was just his 2nd race start and after being a little worse than midfield to the bend, he really stretched out and won by half a length but ran super fast time off memory.”
True indeed, back then he was known as Montaigne and that day at the Farm he clocked 1.21.98 for 1400m which is very fast, made even more impressive by the fact he was so young and raw.
“I told Anthony (Cummings) that day that he had a lot of ability and when he grew up he would be a really nice horse.
“Obviously, given what he’s done that was an understatement, but you could feel he had a lot of talent even that early on.”
Montaigne won over 1600m at his next start, then was placed in the Gr 2 Hobartville Stakes, and was a month later the runner-up in the Gr 1 Rosehill Guineas.
The offers from Hong Kong started to flood in after that and when he was 4th in the Gr 1 BMW against the older stars, he was finally purchased and sent to the Chinese isle.
His named was changed and now he has won a staggering $72,087,500 in Hong Kong dollars which when converted equals $12,880,600 in Australian currency.
His career thus far reads 28 starts for 15 wins and 7 placings, of which 6 wins were at Gr 1 level.
“He just bowls along at a speed nothing over here can catch him. He breaks their hearts,” said Purton who is glad Winx is not ever coming over to Hong Kong to spoil the ride.
As for Bell, his best ride today is the unraced Pacific Legend in race 6 at Wyong.
He too is a free-wheeling type….and is owned in Hong Kong interests.
