Moore hoping cheekpieces can spur his 'Special One' back to top form

"The special one is diminished.” That's not a cry from irate Spurs fans but trainer John Moore’s realistic appraisal of Beauty Generation as he heads into Sunday’s Group 1 Stewards’ Cup (6.15) at Sha Tin.

Beauty Generation has spent a long time as the highest rated miler in the world – and bolted up in this race a year ago – but his crown slipped with three defeats in seven weeks late last year.

Another defeat in Sunday's Stewards' Cup will surely see him dethroned for good.

Moore has decided to add cheekpieces to the seven-year-old’s battle tackle, while Zac Purton feels there have been encouraging signs in the mornings of a return to form.

And regular work rider Romain Clavreul has come out swinging on Twitter with a hashtag reading #Only1KingInThisTown.

Moore is looking for a revival that acts as a springboard to the Dubai Turf in March. Time is running out for Beauty Generation, however, and for the first time even the man who took him to the summit seems to have lost a little faith.

Moreira confident Waikuku is top of the board

The good news for Beauty Generation fans ahead of Sunday's £1m showdown is that the opposition is eminently beatable if he can recapture even a glimmer of his old brilliance.

The bad news is that his six rivals include the former John Oxx-trained Waikuku, who has made relentless progress through the Hong Kong miling division and now leads Beauty Generation 3-1 in their head-to-head clashes this season.

Waikuku: leads Beauty Generation 3-1 in their head-to-head clashes this seasonCredit: Hong Kong Jockey Club

Waikuku made the most of the 5lb he received from Beauty Generation to turn him over in the Jockey Club Mile in November, then mastered him again at levels when the pair chased home Japanese raider Admire Mars in the Hong Kong Mile last month.

Beauty Generation looked set to rip when nosing ahead early in the straight that day only to fail to deliver the surge that was once his trademark, while Waikuku had to be dropped out from stall ten but still ran past his older foe readily, leaving Joao Moreira to reflect that “in different circumstances, I’m quite confident he would have won the race.”

Moreira feels that Waikuku is “top of the board” in Hong Kong's mile division nowadays. Beauty Generation will lead for a long way in Sunday's showdown but, unless Moore and those cheekpieces work some magic, logic suggests Waikuku can wear him down again when it matters.

Time is right for Beat The Clock to strike again

The lull in Beauty Generation's fortunes leaves the door ajar for a new Horse of the Year this season and Waikuku's stablemate Beat The Clock will be in pole position if he continues his domination of Hong Kong's best sprints under Moreira in the Centenary Sprint Cup (7.20).

John Size's gelding doesn't win extravagantly, nor does he ever win by far, but he got the better of a tight battle with Mr Stunning in this race last year and completed a clean sweep of Hong Kong's three Group 1 1,200m races in 2019 by winning the Champions Sprint in April and the Hong Kong Sprint last month.

John Size: trains Beat The Clock, who could put himself in the running for Horse of the Year this seasonCredit: Hugh Routledge

Beat The Clock finished a neck ahead of stablemate Hot King Prawn in December with Mr Stunning, Full Of Beauty, Wishful Thinker and D B Pin all beaten by two lengths or less in fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh.

The margins for error are slim at this level and Hot King Prawn will be dangerous if Karis Teetan can secure a softish lead from stall 2.

However, Moreira ought to be able to find a good stalking position from gate three and Beat The Clock’s ability to rattle off a closing split of 22.0s or under could be the crucial factor again as he attempts to confirm himself king of the Hong Kong sprinting hill.

Purton can pounce on progressive Smart Patch

The last two races on Sha Tin’s card are run at a more suitable time for British and Irish viewers on Sky Sports Racing and a punters who are behind could be looking to Zac Purton to help patch things up.

Computer Patch and Purton will corner a big chunk of the market for the Ambitious Dragon Handicap (8.30) and the lightly-raced Aussie import looks a leading player after getting the better of a sustained duel with Beauty Applause over course and distance ago.

Further improvement looks probable but it shouldn’t be forgotten that Beauty Applause had to work hard to offset stall 12 that day and this flashy chestnut looks all set to go close again with a low draw and a 3lb pull.

Click here to view Sunday's ten-race card at Sha Tin

Purton partners Smart Patch in the concluding Glorious Days Handicap (9.05) and his opponents include a couple of notable British recruits, Enzemble and Charity Go.

Charity Go just got the better of Smart Pitch in a tight finish here last month but the latter continues to travel like a horse who’s more than ready to strike at this level and slightly more patient tactics this time could see him prove the point.

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