Time information vital in assessing beaten Beauty Generation

Another One Bites The Dust would have been a suitable soundtrack to Sunday’s events at Sha Tin after Beauty Generation suffered a similar fate to Enable and Stradivarius when relinquishing one of the longest winning streaks in world racing.

Debate continues into why John Moore’s gelding was beaten into third behind Irish imports Rise High and Waikuku in the Sha Tin Trophy but the most plausible explanation lies in a study of the way the race was run.

Put simply, circumstances forced Beauty Generation and Zac Purton to run their race in a manner that took the edge off the seven-year-old’s sharpest weapon.

A long list of big-race wins shows that weapon is a rare ability to maintain high speed for long periods but, having been unable to lead, Beauty Generation then wasted energy racing freely in a notably tepid second quarter.

The race then turned into a four-furlong sprint and, despite running a faster final two furlongs than in any of his ten previous wins over a mile, Beauty Generation came under pressure as he faltered for the first time in over 18 months.

Hong Kong case studies involving previous stars such as Able Friend show things can go south in a hurry once a champion’s air of invincibility is bruised.

However, there are several reasons for thinking that Beauty Generation can make We Are The Champions his chosen Queen track again in the Jockey Club Mile.

Rise High will be moving up to a mile and a quarter for the Jockey Club Cup next, while Waikuku will be 13lb worse off if he reopposes on November 17.

Zac Purton: booking for ride on Harmony Victory catches the eyeCredit: Aitor Alcalde (Getty Images)

As Purton pointed out on Tuesday, Beauty Generation had a hard race second time out in last year’s Sha Tin Trophy then broke a longstanding track record after a short break when bounding home in the Jockey Club Mile.

It’s unlikely that he’s getting better aged seven but this defeat shouldn’t be seen as sign that he’s getting worse and a return to his old style should see him bounce back next month.

Baby poised to bounce back from inside gate

Purton heads to Happy Valley on Wednesday with his usual string of strong chances including aboard Yee Cheong Baby, who bids to return to winning form in the Ivictory Handicap at 3.50.

Happy Valley: races on WednesdayCredit: Vince Caligiuri

Jimmy Ting’s gelding did not live up to expectations at Sha Tin on his reappearance but the powerful chestnut looked very smart in winning his first two Hong Kong starts last season and was only just behind Ivictory’s six-furlong track record when bolting up in May.

Yee Cheong Baby gave a broad hint that he was back in form when storming away with a recent all-weather trial and is drawn to attack in stall one, while Loving A Boom showed useful form for Gordon Elliott in Ireland and is one to keep an eye on at much longer odds despite being less well drawn in stall 11.

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