Southern Legend denies Beauty Generation a Champions Mile hat-trick of wins at Sha Tin, one of the few racecourses in action because of the coronavirus threat.
Southern Legend edges out Beauty Generation in Champions Mile thriller
SHOWS: HONG KONG, CHINA (APRIL 26, 2020) (HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB - NO ARCHIVE) 1.
START OF CHAMPIONS MILE RACE AT THE HONG KONG JOCKEY CLUB CHAMPIONS DAY 2.
HORSES ENTERING THE FINAL STAGES OF THE CHAMPIONS MILE, BEAUTY GENERATION (PINK/BLACK WITH WHITE SPOTS, NUMBER 1) RIDDEN BY ZAC PURTON LEADING FROM SOUTHERN LEGEND (YELLOW, NUMBER 5) RIDDEN BY VINCENT HO.
HORSES BATTLING TO THE FINISH WITH SOUTHERN LEGEND WINNING 3.
SOUTHERN LEGEND AND HO 4.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAMPION MILE WINNING JOCKEY, VINCENT HO, WEARING PROTECTIVE FACE MASK, SAYING: "Yeah, it's amazing you know.
Although no spectators, but, it's a group one (race), you know, been working really hard and, of course, thanks for all the chances." 5.
START OF QE (QUEEN ELIZABETH) II CUP RACE 6.
HORSES ENTERING THE FINAL STAGES OF THE QE II CUP AS EXULTANT (BLACK AND WHITE, NUMBER 1) RIDDEN BY PURTON OPENING UP A LEAD AND FINISHING FIRST 7.
(SOUNDBITE) (English) EXULTANT TRAINER, TONY CRUZ, WEARING PROTECTIVE FACE MASK, SAYING: "We've all been locked down and I'm so happy to say that Hong Kong Jockey Club and the government allowed racing.
It's fantastic, you know, we have today, we can talk about today's racing, at least we are the few two, three countries, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia, have racing, it's sad.
But I hope everything comes back (to) normal soon or later and we have back the public.
This is where we need to have the public, you know." 8.
EXULTANT AND PURTON STORY: Beauty Generation was denied a third successive victory in the Champions Mile by Southern Legend in a thrilling finish at Sha Tin racecourse in Hong Kong on Sunday (April 26).
Despite the racing taking place behind closed doors and with no overseas entries able to contest the prestigious Group One race, a strong field of eight horses contested the 1,600-metre showpiece.
As the horses reached the last 300 metres, Beauty Generation, ridden by Australian Zac Purton for Hong Kong-based trainer Australian John Moore, hit the front but was quickly joined by Southern Legend on the outside under Hong Kong jockey Vincent Ho.
The two battled neck-and-neck to the line, but it was Southern Legend, trained by Hong Kong's Caspar Fownes, that won in a photo-finish.
Zac Purton made up for his narrow loss by guiding Exultant to victory in the 2,000-metre QE II Cup, the third and final Group 1 race of the Champions Day programme.
The three-quarters of a length victory for six-year-old Exultant over the fast-finishing Furore meant that Purton has now won all 12 Group 1 races held in Hong Kong.
(Production: Stefan Haskins, Mike Brock)