HAYES RETAINS FAITH IN BEAUTY GENERATION

By Hong Kong Jockey Club (Leo Schlink) | Thursday, December 10, 2020

David Hayes will attempt to emulate the career-ending Cox Plate glories of retired Australian warhorse Fields Of Omagh when Beauty Generation attempts to annex a third HK$25 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday (13 December).

Hayes famously sent Fields Of Omagh into retirement after the nine-year-old snared Australia’s premier G1 weight-for-age contest – the Cox Plate – at Moonee Valley in 2006 to cap his career in a blaze of glory.

The comparisons to Beauty Generation, twice Hong Kong Horse of the Year, are not lost on Hayes, who inherited the decorated eight-year-old after John Moore’s retirement.

In two runs for Hayes, the 2017 and 2018 Hong Kong Mile winner has had his colours lowered by Hong Kong’s boom galloper Golden Sixty, dead-heated for second in the G3 Celebration Cup (1400m) before running sixth in the G2 Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy Handicap (1600m).

Fields Of Omagh had won just one of 12 starts before tackling – and conquering – the Cox Plate for a second victory after Hayes took over the gelding from Tony McEvoy after returning to Australia from Hong Kong in 2005.

Hayes retains faith Beauty Generation can revive the uplifting memories of Fields Of Omagh’s farewell performance.

“It would be wonderful to win with him, especially if you could resurrect an old champion like Beauty Generation,” Hayes said after the gelding cantered over 2000m on the inner track at Sha Tin on Thursday (10 December).

“He reminds me – and he’s more high-profile – of an old Fields Of Omagh going into his last Cox Plate, doing everything right but overlooked and under-rated by the market.

“This horse is going to start well overs which is quite ironic because up until the last 12 months, he’s been favourite in everything he’s raced in.

“The guy who rides him, Romain (Clavreul), who has ridden him all his life, says he feels as good as ever, which is really encouraging.

“We’ve taken a fresh approach. We elected not to give him a lead-up race or a trial. He’s just had three nice gallops on the course proper over the last month and I’m really happy with his level of fitness and he looks fantastic.”

Beauty Generation finished third in last year’s Hong Kong Mile behind Japan’s Admire Mars, who returns to defend his crown.

More articles