WAIKUKU defeated Beauty Generation in an exhilarating showdown for the Group 1 Steward’s Cup over a mile at Sha Tin on Sunday, a result that all but confirmed a changing of the guard at the very top of Hong Kong’s pecking order.

Joao Moreira’s mount quickened from the rear through a closing 400 metres clocked at 22.38s to register a time of 1m 33.04s, the eighth-fastest at the course and distance in more than a decade.

Waikuku had finished ahead of track record holder Beauty Generation three times this season already, but the old champ’s hunger for the fray was back as he rolled along on the lead.

Under a near-pristine Zac Purton ride, the seven-year-old kicked on down the home stretch and fought bravely when Waikuku pressed him.

“Beauty Generation can do that and he seemed to run very good today,” Waikuku’s trainer John Size observed. “When we straightened up and started to make ground on him gradually, I thought we might get there on the line.”

Beauty Generation’s powerful drive was not quite as before; Waikuku and Moreira had his measure by a neck where it mattered.

“We had enough time to catch him – he wasn’t giving up, he wasn’t surrendering but Waikuku is such a nice horse, he gives his best and this is the kind of result he can produce.”

Beauty Generation’s days as champion are evidently over, but the seven-time Group 1 winner and one-time world’s top-rated miler is still a rival to be reckoned with at the highest level. “Zac said the run was really good,” defeated trainer John Moore said. “There’s just one new boy on the block on the way up and ours is on the slight decline.

“When the horse did come on him, he showed that he did have a bit of kick there but the old, original kick wasn’t there, where he would have fought on with that horse.”

Waikuku is a son of Harbour Watch out of the Danehill Dancer mare London Plane and was bred by Shane Molan. He had two runs here for John Oxx for whom he broke his maiden at Leopardstown in July 2018.

Size is yet to make a decision about Waikuku’s next assignment but intimated that he could take a patient approach into the Group 1 Champions Mile at the end of April.

Moore said of Beauty Generation: “I think he’s the right horse to take to Dubai – that will be the main target now if we can convince the Kwok family to take him.”

“He was gallant in defeat; our boy is on the slow fade but is capable of running a big one in Dubai if we get the go-ahead.

“The 1,800 metres there (Dubai Turf), putting him on the other leg, I think it would really rejuvenate him; and he won’t meet Waikuku in Dubai so the trip would be the best way forward.”

Beat The Clock does it again

BEAT The Clock displayed the class that has made him a champion to complete back-to-back wins in the HK$10 million Centenary Sprint Cup over six furlongs at Sha Tin.

A narrow victory over Thanks Forever sealed a Group 1 double on the day for trainer John Size and jockey Joao Moreira, following Waikuku’s win.

Beat The Clock’s success was his fourth at the highest level and maintained his incredible record of placing top three in all 24 career starts - 10 of them wins.

“Good horses always know where the finish line is and they know what they’re being asked for, which is to cross that finish line first,” Moreira said of Hong Kong’s champion sprinter.

Beat The Clock was last to break in the seven-runner field, forcing his rider to improvise.

Moreira said. “I was a bit worried about it but he quickly got back into the race. I had to give him a chance from there, just ride for luck and the split came at the right time. Once again he proved that he’s probably the best sprinter in Hong Kong.”

The six-year-old hit the lead approaching the final 100m and held the battling Thanks Forever by a head with another Size-trained galloper Hot King Prawn in third.

“He seems to overcome the circumstances of a race, whatever they may be, to win. That’s something you can’t deal with, he just does it himself,” Size said of last month’s Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) hero.

Beat The Clock has placed second in the last two runnings of the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m) – behind Beauty Generation – and that assignment is an option once again. Size said. “He’s getting older and whether he can tolerate another race that quickly I’m not sure but he’ll let us know.”