Sha Tin Preview: Murphy and Japanese mare look a winning team

There is high-class action in Hong Kong on Sunday where Sha Tin stages three Group 1 races on its Champions Day card. The Chairman’s Sprint Prize (6f, 08:20 BST) kicks off proceedings and has attracted one of the world’s best sprinters in Santa Ana Lane. Trained in Australia by Anthony Freedman, Santa Ana Lane was a convincing winner of the T J Smith Stakes at Randwick earlier this month, coming home three and a half lengths ahead of Osborne Bulls. Australia took this prize with Chautauqua in 2016 and have strong claims of taking it once more with Santa Ana Lane.

Beat The Clock and Mr Stunning head up the local opposition, and there is little to choose between them on form. Beat The Clock has finished ahead of his old rival several times since being beaten by him in the Hong Kong Sprint in December, and he comes into this following a good second to another of this field, Rattan, in a Group 2 contest last time. Mr Stunning was back in third that day, but both he and Beat The Clock came out better than Rattan at the weights and both should finish ahead of that one this time. Of the others, Australian mare Viddora has an outside chance but it will be something of a surprise if Santa Ana Lane isn’t good enough to take this, though he doesn’t really rate a betting proposition at odds-on.

While Santa Ana Lane being beaten would come as a surprise, it would be nothing short of a complete shock were Beauty Generation to be beaten in the following FWD Champions Mile (09:00 BST). Unbeaten in his last eight races - four of them at Group 1 level - Beauty Generation has established himself as one of the best horses in the world, and the highest rated in Hong Kong since Able Friend. Capable of making the running or tracking the pace, Beauty Generation appears to have few - if any - chinks in his armour and the opposition appear to be playing for second place in this contest.  Based on ratings, Conte may well be the one to chase home the red-hot favourite, but this is certainly a race to watch rather than get heavily involved in from a punting perspective.

BEAUTY GENERATION WINS G2 CHAIRMAN’S TROPHY 🇭🇰

That’s eight in a row for the monster miler as @zpurton leads all the way at Sha Tin 👏

Who wants to see him take on Danon Premium in Japan? 🙌pic.twitter.com/Yx0EJbPu1W

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) 7 April 2019

The final Group 1 contest of the day, the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup (10f, 09:40 BST) has a more open and competitive look to it. Exultant appears to bring the strongest form to the table, and has been thriving of late, winning his last three starts (all at Sha Tin), including the Hong Kong Vase in December and the Hong Kong Gold Cup last time. With Southern Legend and Dinozzo both convincingly beaten in that contest, there seems little reason to suggest the form will be turned around.

Dark Dream and Waikuku are other locally-trained horses that are prominent in the betting, though both have to improve a little on what they have achieved to date if they are to beat a peak-form Exultant, while Furore is another worthy of consideration. However, the main danger to the favourite may well be the Japanese-trained mare Lys Gracieux, who ran Exultant to a neck in the Hong Kong Vase in December. While that run came over 12f, Lys Gracieux is equally effective over shorter, and with Oisin Murphy an interesting jockey booking, she rates a solid-value selection at around 9/1, given there is little between her and Exultant on form.

EXULTANT WINS THE HONG KONG VASE 👏

It's a home winner in the first G1 of #HKIR as @zpurton beats rival Joao Moreira and Lys Gracieux in a thrilling finish 🇭🇰pic.twitter.com/YHa3HJldBl

— World Horse Racing (@WHR) 9 December 2018

Selection: Back Lys Gracieux in the FWD Queen Elizabeth II Cup