Graham Cunningham: star-studded Sha Tin card gets the go-ahead

If a Group 1 race is run behind closed doors, with no one around to see it, does it make a sound?

That questions will be asked and answered twice at Sha Tin on Sunday but the fact that only owners, trainers and jockeys will be on hand for one of Hong Kong racing's biggest days of the year is of secondary importance to the fact that the meeting is going ahead at all.

The threat of coronavirus has left racing as practically the only sporting game in town – with the Hong Kong Sevens joining the HK Marathon and Longines Masters showjumping on an ever-growing casualty list this week – but officials are confident that it is reasonable for racing to continue with severe attendance measures in force. They are also taking steps to assist the wider community as the number of confirmed cases in the city passed the 50 mark this week.

The Club has taken delivery of a million medical masks with 80,000 and 250,000 earmarked for local hospitals and children from poorer families. Meanwhile a special emergency fund will distribute £5 million worth of protective supplies to local communities and another £2.3 million of food and essential hygiene products to the disabled and homebound elderly.

Hong Kong aces clash in Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup hat-trick

If ever a horse embodied the fluctuating fortunes of the city he represents, it is surely Beauty Generation.

Invincible while his hometown was bouncing yet brittle once Hong Kong became vulnerable, John Moore's gelding has been beaten four times since October and bids to recapture former glories when taking on leading sprinter Beat The Clock again in the Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (7.20).

Beauty Generation dug deep to hold Beat The Clock two years ago and was at his dominant best when extending the gap to a length and three quarters in 2019.

12 months on, Beat The Clock, fresh from two thrilling but narrow wins, remains one of the most reliable elite performers around. Meanwhile, Beauty Generation has dipped below his career peak several times, including when worn down by Waikuku in the Stewards' Cup last month.

Pace and Purton the key to Beauty prospects

There is no question this represents a crucial test for Beauty Generation. Victory sets up the tantalising prospect of a clash with Almond Eye in the Dubai Turf, while a decisive defeat could signal the beginning of the end.

Previous Hong Kong greats Able Friend and Ambitious Dragon headed into retirement on the back of defeats in this race, but Beauty Generation did not look ready for his pension three weeks ago and this has all the makings of a close encounter with tactics set to play a major role.

Beat The Clock confirmed that he can reel off closing splits of 22 seconds or faster for fun in last month’s Centenary Sprint Cup. The front-running Beauty Generation does not seem able to do that nowadays but he found plenty off a true pace on his latest start and Zac Purton needs to ask his old ally to run hard enough through the middle sections to draw the sting from his main rival.

It's a classic head to head between the ageing strength miler and an exceptional year-younger sprinter. Recency bias might tip the market in Beat The Clock's favour but a canny ride – and a little of that old fire – might just tilt the scales towards the old champ once things get tough.

Exultant hard to oppose in HK Gold Cup

When Exultant and Purton bring their best to Sha Tin, the rest of Hong Kong's middle-distance brigade are playing for places.

Tony Cruz's gelding has come a long way since finishing third in Churchill's Irish 2,000 Guineas when known as Irishcorrespondent for Michael Halford. It is hard to know what will beat him as he bids to repeat last year's win in the Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (6.15).

Southern Legend finished second last year but has not peaked of late while Time Warp became the first horse to break two minutes over 1m2f (2000m) at Sha Tin on this day two years ago but isn't the same force nowadays.

Fellow British and Irish imports Glorious Dragon and Doctor Geoff chased Exultant home in the Centenary Vase three weeks ago but face a huge task now that they are not receiving 20lb and 19lb respectively.

Glorious Dragon, formerly known as Stephenson's Rocket for Ed Walker, has improved with every run of late and looks poised to go well at a fair price again.

But Cruz says Exultant "came out of his last run very good and feels much stronger than last year." A trip to Dubai for the Sheema Classic beckons and, given that Exultant is tactically versatile with plenty in hand on these terms, connections could be forgiven for scanning flight schedules already.

British imports set to meet their Waterloo against Wellington

Jamie Spencer returns to Sha Tin with a solid place chance on last year's Hong Kong Derby winner Furore against Exultant. Elsewhere, one of his former rides heads the weights for the Citi Insurance Services Handicap (8.25).

Victory Day: last seen winning on Shergar Cup dayCredit: Alan Crowhurst

Harmony Spirit was previously called Victory Day when with William Haggas and was last seen landing the sprint on Shergar Cup day for Spencer. But the Bated Breath gelding has not done enough in morning trials to suggest he is primed to defy stall 14 and a mark of 80 on his debut for Douglas Whyte.

Lockheed also flies the Haggas flag in this £145,000 handicap and does so after an agonising second over course and distance. The 2017 German 2,000 Guineas runner-up gives a stone to the highly impressive debut winner Wellington and that looks a tall order judged by the way Richard Gibson's gelding powered clear over course and distance four weeks ago.

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