Beauty Flash (NZ) Too Strong and Too Good

The Hong Kong circuit is alight after last night's racing action at Sha Tin with Hong Kong 'superstar' Beauty Flash (NZ) notching up his third win at the top level, winning the HK-1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m).

Beauty Flash (Golan x Wychwood Rose) - the winner of his previous two outings, the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Mile and the HK-1 Stewards' Cup - made it a hat-trick of Group 1/HK-1 victories at Sha Tin when defying all challengers in the HK-1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup.

The powerhouse chestnut has been racing in sublime form, showing his strength and sheer determination to deny some hugely talented horses in his last three starts. He and his jockey, the 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Gerald Mosse, have struck up quite a rapport of late, and Mosse was full of praise for the horse.

"I was a bit worried about the drop down to 1400 metres because of the different pace of the race, but this horse had enough speed so he was always there and always ready when I pressed the button. He's a superstar."

Jumping from a wide barrier, and also dropping in distance to 1400 metres, Beauty Flash was forced to surrender his favourite position as pace maker, and was caught off the track in transit with little cover, so to be able to produce such a strong run in the straight is a real tribute to his ability.

The son of Golan ran the 1400 metre trip in a slick time of 1.21.74 and could have stopped the clock earlier had Mosse asked him to.

Trainer Tony Cruz was delighted with the horse's win and is now looking to his next outing, the US$5 million Group 1 Dubai Duty Free (1800m) at the Dubai World Cup meeting on 26 March, with Cruz commenting that the 1800 metres will suit Beauty Flash perfectly.

Bred by Windsor Park Stud, Beauty Flash was bought by Hong Kong-based buyer Dan O'Donnell from Halidon Hill at the 2007 Karaka Select Sale for $65,000. Owned by Kwok Siu Ming, the five-year-old has now won nine of his 19 starts, four at international Group 1 or HK-1 level, for just shy of NZ$5 million, NZ$3 million coming from this campaign alone.

New Zealand Bloodstock graduates won four races in total at last night's Sha Tin Meeting. Thorn Park had an excellent weekend with his outstanding son Jimmy Choux winning the Group 1 New Zealand Derby and he also had a winner last night in Hong Kong, as did O'Reilly.

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