Beauty Generation looks the world’s best miler
Beauty Generation repeated his victory of last year in the Hong Kong Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) in even more devastating fashion than in 2017 when that performance clinched for him the honour of being named Hong Kong Horse of the Year and Champion Miler of 2017-18. He is even better this year with two breathtaking victories at his last two starts.
Blessed with a high cruising speed to destroy his rivals, the six-year-old gelding has amazing reserves which on December 9 enabled him to draw away from the high class field in the straight to win easing down in the closing stages by three lengths from Japanese mare Vivlos (Deep Impact) with former Sydney galloper Southern Legend (Not a Single Doubt) close behind in third place. Race time was a slick 1:33.52 seconds with the last 400 metres run in 22.88 seconds.
The ability of Beauty Generation to post consistently fast times has been a feature of his career in Hong Kong where he holds Sha Tin course records at both 1600 metres and 2200 metres.
Bred in New Zealand by Nearco Stud Limited from a mare it leased, Beauty Generation has added further laurels to the Hong Kong careers of two Australian champions in trainer John Moore and jockey Zac Purton.
As a yearling Beauty Generation sold for NZ$60,000 at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock National Sale, a good price reflecting his type more than the perceived quality of his pedigree.
Supermodel Kylie Bax bought Beauty Generation in the name of Hermes Syndications, teaming up with Sydney trainer Anthony Cummings to put together a group of owners, Cummings keen to be involved as he had trained the colt’s talented sire Road To Rock (Encosta de Lago).
Entering the Cummings stable at Randwick, the big colt was soon gelded and given the name Montaigne. Unraced at two years, Montaigne won twice in Sydney as a three-year-old and showed his class and potential by finishing second to Tarzino (Tavistock) in the 2016 Rosehill Guineas (Gr 1, 2000m) then fourth in Preferment’s (Zabeel) The BMW (registered as HE Tancred Stakes) (Gr 1, 2400m) after an earlier third in the Hobartville Stakes (Gr 2, 1400m) behind Press Statement (Hinchinbrook).
On the strength of his form, a Hong Kong offer for Montaigne proved too good to refuse and he departed Australia in May, 2016 to be re-named Beauty Generation and, with added maturity, go on to greater glories.
Buyers at the upcoming 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale at Karaka will be able to bid for a Tavistock (Montjeu) half-sister to Beauty Generation catalogued as Lot 443. https://nzb.co.nz/sales/pedigree.cfm?sale_id=207&lot=443
As mentioned earlier, Anthony Cummings trained Beauty Generation’s Australian-bred sire Road To Rock who stands at a low fee at New Zealand’s Wellfield Lodge, Palmerston North.
Road To Rock was a racehorse of class, reaching his peak as a five-year-old when he captured the same George Main Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) – Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) double as achieved more recently by Winx (Street Cry). Also at five years he placed in such events as the Doncaster Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m) and the Epsom Handicap (Gr 1, 1600m). Other previous black type successes for him were the Carbine Club Stakes (Listed, 1600m) and the Victoria Gold Cup (Listed, 2000m).
For such a well bred, well performed stallion, Road To Rock has not received big numbers of quality mares since retiring to stud in 2010 but he has produced his share of winners, among them two other stakes winners, All Roads, who won the BOP RC Japan-New Zealand International Trophy (Gr 2, 1600m) and Rock On, winner of the 2017 New Zealand St. Leger Stakes (Listed, 2500m).
Beauty Generation’s dam Stylish Bel (Bel Esprit) did not race and her first two foals, fillies by Cecconi (Encosta de Lago), were also unraced before Beauty Generation arrived as her third foal in 2012. She has since produced unraced gelding Drops of Jupiter (Echoes of Heaven), the previously mentioned 2017 filly by Tavistock and in 2018 she has foaled a Tarzino colt.
The Hong Kong champion comes from a branch of New Zealand’s famous Eulogy family but one based in South Australia in recent generations.
Stylish Victory (Durham Ranger), Beauty Generation’s second dam, failed to win but was stakes placed in Adelaide as a two-year-old before producing Listed stakes winners Savage Attack (Made of Gold) and Victory Trump (Euclase) plus two other winners. Next dam is unraced Romantic Peace (Mikado).
Beauty Generation’s maternal grandsire, the still active Bel Esprit (Royal Academy), is best known as the father of Black Caviar while Durham Ranger (Noholme), sire of his second dam, was a minor stakes winner in the United States but a disappointing sire in South Australia if you leave out his one outstanding horse, Durbridge, winner of 17 stakes events including six at Group 1 level starting with the 1991 AJC (now Australian) Derby (Gr 1, 2400m), a tough campaigner effective from 1600 metres to 2400 metres.