Beaut Beaut wins Longines Cup at the Hong Kong International Races Prelude Night

In the fifth of the eight races on the card, Matthew Poon Ming-Fai guided his mount to victory by a neck in a close finish from Gentle Breeze in second with Lucky Lucky a similar distance behind in third.

The jockey was also at the helm for the first of trainer Jimmy Ting’s double at the meeting which is a prelude to the Longines Hong Kong International Races that will take place on 9 December at the same track.

Ting’s double began in the opener, Starlit Knight Handicap for three year olds, as Glory Star came in a comfortable two and a half lengths clear of Travel Ambassador in second and Triumphant Light a further half of a length back in third.

The trainer then had to wait until race four to complete a double as Trendiful took out the Lyric Ace Handicap. Run over six furlongs, the favourite under jockey Karis Teetan came in a length and three-quarters to the good from Raichu in second and The Show in third.

The highly-coveted Longines Hong Kong International Races are a quartet of championship races with each contest offering record prize money this year. The G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup (2000m) is worth HK$28 million, an increase of HK$3 million; the Longines Hong Kong Mile (1600m) is upped to HK$25 million; and the Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) and Longines Hong Kong Vase (2400m) are now worth HK$20 million apiece.

Prior to Wednesday evening’s racing, a total of 67 G1 winners were among the 262 nominations of world class talent revealed for December’s prestigious meeting. An exciting array of 191 individual horses accounts for the total number of nominations to the four Group 1 contests, with 70 horses holding entries in more than one race.

Japanese filly Almond Eye is among the host of top-class nominations holding entries for the Longines Hong Kong Cup and Longines Hong Kong Mile.. Trainer Sakae Kunieda’s three-year-old is unbeaten this year from a mile to 2400 metres and recently completed Japan’s Fillies’ Triple Crown.

Other world-class horses declared are the French big-hitters Cloth Of Stars, Waldgeist and Talismanic from the stable of André Fabre; the North American pair of Mind Your Biscuits and Imperial Hint, and Japan’s speedster Fine Needle, crack miler Mozu Ascot and 2016 Japanese Derby winner Makahiki.

Ireland’s representation includes big name Group 1 winners Mendelssohn, Kew Gardens, Capri and Latrobe. They are joined by recent Longchamp winner One Master and Godolphin’s Blair House; and an exciting batch of Hong Kong’s own star racers, including last year’s victors Beauty Generation, Time Warp and Mr Stunning.

Hong Kong has 44 entries this time, with Australia also well-represented with 24 horses in the 2018 nominations. Notwithstanding the Australian government’s current ban on horse movements from Hong Kong to Australia, their entries are up seven more than in 2017 and feature 15 G1 winners, including the three-time top-flight scorer Trapeze Artist, the world’s second-best turf sprinter according to the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.

Swiss watchmaker Longines is in its second year serving as Title Partner and Official Timekeeper of the Longines Cup. As part of its partnership with the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Longines is also Title Partner and Official Timekeeper of the Longines Hong Kong International Races week which includes the Longines International Jockey’s Championship which will be held on Wednesday 5 December.