Jim McGrath with three top tips for Sha Tin's Champions Day card on Sunday

Wellington
8.25 Sha Tin
2pts win

Beauty Generation
9.00 Sha Tin
2pts win

Gold Chest
10.15 Sha Tin
2pts win

Richard Gibson, no stranger to success on Hong Kong’s big days, can create his own headlines on the undercard with a promising young horse destined for the top.

Gibson, who first enjoyed success as a trainer in France, has saddled Wellington for three successive wins, which have taken the three-year-old from Class 4 to the top of Class 3, a huge achievement.

Now the unbeaten Wellington tries for four on the trot, in the Class 3 7f handicap (8.25), which seems well within his capabilities. All his wins have been over 6f, but the extra furlong should not prove beyond the son of All Too Hard, a Guineas-winning half-brother to Black Caviar.

The most striking feature of Wellington’s wins has been his powerful, sweeping finish, coming from well back in the field. Incredibly, he had never drawn a gate inside ten — until this time, when he starts from gate three.

Zac Purton retains the ride on Wellington, while arch rival Joao Moreira is aboard Fantastic Show, who is also attempting four wins in a row. The main danger, however, may be Harmony Spirit, an ex-William Haggas handicapper who is just coming to himself.

Long-serving trainer John Moore expects to leave Hong Kong’s elite arena in a blaze of glory at Sunday’s showcase meeting at Sha Tin, where he attempts a third successive win in the Group 1 FWD Champions Mile (9.00) with the outstanding Beauty Generation.

There are no international visitors because of the extraordinary circumstances this year, and a superb ten-race card will be played out to eerily empty grandstands that have not seen a crowd for many months.

Beauty Generation, and what he is trying to achieve, is the story of the meeting. Moore has saddled many champions at this fixture, including Viva Pataca and Able Friend, but Beauty Generation, already the winner of 18 races and £10 million in prize-money, clearly has a special place in his heart.

Moore’s effort in getting the seven-year-old back to win his last two races following four defeats that seemed to signal a sad decline, ranks as arguably his most noteworthy achievement, and victory on the trainer’s last showcase raceday — he is not due to bow out until July — would be appropriate.

Moore concedes Beauty Generation is not what he was in the
2018-19 season which he sailed through unbeaten in the middle of running up a sequence of ten wins, but the trainer believes he is still good enough to win this year’s renewal. It is hard to disagree.

The John Size-trained Waikuku holds the key, though neither the trainer nor jockey Joao Moreira could offer a valid excuse for the five-year-old’s poor display when well beaten by Beauty Generation in the Chairman’s Trophy three weeks ago.

He had finished ahead of Beauty Generation four times previously, so although some might be inclined to forgive his last run, it is still hard to forget. In-form Southern Legend could be the danger this time.

This is an all-quality card, with great depth in most races. The final two heats are a perfect example, particularly the Class 2 6f sprint handicap (10.15), in which there are several outstanding contenders.

If Transcendent had not drawn so badly (14), he would have been near top of the pile, but with so much reliance on a very strong pace throughout, his task coming from behind could be too great.

Computer Patch is terribly consistent, and with Moreira booked for the first time, he is certain to be in contention for a long way, but the Gibson-trained Gold Chest could well be poised to strike again at his favoured Sha Tin, where he has recorded wins over 6f and 7f.

Gold Chest was bought out of the stable of Jane Chapple-Hyam after twice winning at Newmarket, including at Listed level. He is very capable on his day and still looks well handicapped.

Sha Tin card

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TOTE PLACEPOT

Race 4 (1st leg): 1,7
Race 5 (2nd leg): 1, 2
Race 6 (3rd leg): 1, 5
Race 7 (4th leg): 1, 3
Race 8 (5th leg): 4, 7
Race 9 (6th leg): 1, 3

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