Preparing to meet Golden Sixty at next month's Hong Kong International Races, Beauty Eternal landed the biggest prize of his burgeoning career in Sunday's HK$5.35 million Group 2 Jockey Club Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin.
Carrying the same silks as exceptional miler Beauty Generation for owner Patrick Kwok, Beauty Eternal (123lb) took his racing to yet another level as he repelled the late charge of Beauty Joy (123lb) by a short-head to win his first Group 2 under jockey Zac Purton.
“It's probably the first time he's had to dig deep when something has come at him like that and find and he'll take some confidence out of it,” Purton said.
The winning time of the race was 1m 33.04s. Voyage Bubble (123lb) finished in third place first-up following knee surgery, while a fading California Spangle (128lb) could only manage fourth. Healthy Happy (123lb) rounded out the five-runner field.
Beauty Eternal – under the care of 12-time champion trainer John Size – broke evenly from barrier five. He cruised down the back straight in fourth before ambling into contention, taking the lead with 300m left to run before denying a rampaging Beauty Joy.
“They went a decent tempo and he came into the race nicely. He had no horse to run at and he was there to get shot down. To his credit, he was able to kick and win the race,” Size said. “He probably learned a bit more about racing today.”
Beauty Eternal is now an eight-time winner from 12 starts. Last season he captured the mantle as Most Improved Horse (2022/23) in Hong Kong after rising 65 rating points.
“If you get to the front a fair bit too early and the horse starts to wander around or think, you're in trouble. I think the horse that's running down the leader has some sort of advantage. It's not very often he's been in that situation so I think he'll learn something from it,” Size said.
The five-year-old's earnings now sit at HK$18.15 million and he is expected to chase a significant boost to that figure in the HK$32 million Group 1 Hong Kong Mile (1600m) when he faces Hong Kong's current champion Golden Sixty for the first time.
“We'll see how he pulls up after this race, and that will give me a guide on what to do between now and 10 December.
“He went to the race in good condition and should come out of it nicely. It's always nice for the owners who contribute so much to get some nice results,” Size said.
Beauty Eternal's success was part of a four-timer for Size, who earlier prevailed with Raging Blizzard, Helios Express and Ensued.