By Alan Carasso
Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock {Aus}) and Hot King Prawn (Aus) (Denman {Aus}), two of the five highest-rated horses in Hong Kong, are the heavyweights in a pair of Group 2 races Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse, but face younger and well-handicapped rivals who figure to take all the beating.
On a rating of 130, the 8-year-old Beauty Generation remains Hong Kong's top-rated galloper and he will–once again–have to deal with rising superstar Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), this time in the Oriental Watch Sha Tin Trophy H. (1600m). The two rivals met in the G3 Celebration Cup H. over 1400 metres Sept. 27, and, in receipt of 17 pounds from the dual Horse of the Year, Golden Sixty kicked home 1 3/4 lengths best, with Champion's Way (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) dead-heating for second. Golden Sixty figures a warm favorite, but the dual G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile winner figures to improve back over his pet trip and with a seven-pound shift in the weights with the once-beaten Golden Sixty.
Hot King Prawn returns to action as the 133-pound king of the hill in the G2 Premier Bowl H. (1200m). Though his lone victory last season came in a Class 1 handicap, the 6-year-old gray gelding just missed to stablemate Beat the Clock (Aus) (Hinchinbrook {Aus}) in last year's G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint and was last seen finishing a close second in the G3 Sha Tin Vase H. over course and distance May 24. Four-year-old Computer Patch (Aus) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) is the likely favourite stretching out in trip off a dominating 2 3/4-length success in the G3 National Day Cup H. up the 1000-metre straight course Oct. 1. The ridgling gets a whopping 16 pounds off Hot King Prawn Sunday afternoon.
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