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.