Purton wants it dry for Beauty Only��s Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup test

24/02/2017

By David Morgan

With Hong Kong in the grip of a murky, cloud-covered cold snap, Zac Purton is crossing his fingers that any rain will remain locked overhead, at least until Beauty Only has had his chance to break the gloom in Sunday’s (26 February) HK$10 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m). According to the weather forecast, rain patches are a possibility across the weekend.

“It’s not going to be ideal if it rains. He’s better on a firmer track, so we don’t want the rain to come,” the jockey said this morning (Friday, 24 February) before heading out into a chilly breeze for a bracing barrier trial session.

If the showers stay away, Beauty Only has only to contend with a distance at which he has never before won, and the matter of six talented rivals. Among the sextet are reigning Horse of the Year Werther, and the street-fighter of a former champion that has made this race his own for the past two years, Designs On Rome.

“There’s a question-mark about the distance, his better form has been at a mile but I just feel like he’s a more mature horse at the moment,” Purton said of Beauty Only.

The gelding’s trainer, Tony Cruz, added: “He’s losing his early speed, so we thought we’d give the longer distance a try this time and we know he’s run well at the trip once before. He’s got real class this horse, so hopefully that helps him stretch out.”

That class took the six-year-old to victory in December’s G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile, but the son of Holy Roman Emperor’s three attempts at 10 furlongs have yielded a form line that reads sixth, third, eighth. However, the view that his opponents may not be at the peak of their powers, with Werther second-up off an injury lay-off, and both Designs On Rome and Blazing Speed entering the veteran stages of their careers, has prompted connections to revisit.

“It looked like it was a weaker race than what we would normally get, so that gives him the opportunity to try this distance again. Hopefully, he can handle it,” Purton said. “He had an excuse at 2000 metres when he performed poorly here the last time he tried it; he was made use of early to be in a position, and that just backfired on them.”

That back-fire came in the 2015 G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Cup, a below-expectations effort that followed a fine third under Gerald Mosse in the G2 Jockey Club Cup at the course and distance three weeks prior.

“The time (Gerald) Mosse rode him and gave him a chance, he really rocketed to the line well. He only has to reproduce that and he’s going to be thereabouts anyway,” the former champion jockey added.

And Purton notes one factor that he believes should work in Beauty Only’s favour: his mount’s trademark acceleration.

“You’d think Beauty Only’s got the best turn-of-foot in the race, and you know, he showed he had a good set of lungs in the Hong Kong Mile, which gives me some confidence that he can run the trip,” he said.

“It’s hard to see them rolling along, given the small field that we’ve got and the lack of natural leaders. But we can’t worry about that. I know that he’s got a very good turn-of-foot, and if it had to be a sit-and-sprint, it might play into my hands. It would give my horse the chance to run the distance anyway.

“You’d think that the race is going to change complexion from the half-mile because you know Tommy’s (Berry) not going to sit back there on Designs On Rome, knowing how he likes to ride that horse. I’m expecting a mid-race move and it’s going to change things very quickly, and hopefully we can just cope with that when it happens and run home strongly,” Purton said.

The G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup also features the Dennis Yip-trained Secret Weapon, successful in November’s G2 Jockey Club Cup and second to Maurice in the G1 Hong Kong Cup. Flame Hero and Basic Trilogy complete the line-up.

The Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup is the second leg of the Hong Kong Triple Crown. Helene Paragon won the initial leg, the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1600m) at Sha Tin in January, and the concluding leg is the G1 Standard Chartered Champions & Chater Cup over 2400m in May.

Sunday’s 10-race card also features the HK$ 10 million G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) in which G1 winners Able Friend, Helene Paragon and Contentment will lock horns.