Hong Kong Jockey Club
Dual Hong Kong Horse of The Year Beauty Generation was named the Horse of the Year at the Cathay Pacific Group One Awards Dinner, hosted by the Waikato branch of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association, at Sky City Hamilton on Friday night.
The six-year-old son of Road to Rock was undefeated this season, recording a Hong Kong record of eight wins this term, four of those at Group One level.
He also set a new all-time prizemoney record of HK$84.7 million (NZ$16.1 million) and earned the equal-highest rating (127) ever achieved by a Hong Kong horse in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
Road to Rock was bred by Greg Tomlinson of Nearco Stud, who could not attend Friday’s Awards, and Beauty Generation’s existence came about by chance according to his breeder.
As an investor in several stallions in New Zealand, he was on the lookout for a number of lease mares for one of those stallions, dual Group One winner Road to Rock.
He happened across Stylish Bel, a Bel Esprit mare, who he thought would be an ideal mating for the stallion.
“I was short of mares and Stylish Bel was a mare that we leased and on pedigree we felt that she was right for Road to Rock,” he said.
“It’s great (to have bred such a good horse), we know how hard it is to do it and I’m just lucky enough to have been involved in the breeding of the horse.
“He’s quite amazing and at the moment he could be one of the better horses to come out of New Zealand for some time, which is great for New Zealand and the breeding economy.”
Tomlinson sold Beauty Generation through Highden Park’s 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling Sale draft for $60,000 to Kiwi supermodel Kylie Bax under her Hermes Syndications banner.
The son of Road to Rock was initially trained in Australia by Anthony Cummings, where he raced as Montaigne, and was runner-up in the Gr.1 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) before he was sold to Hong Kong.
He has thrived in the Asian racing jurisdiction, winning seven Group One races to date.
Breeders from around New Zealand were honoured for the first time at the awards ceremony in Hamilton on Friday night where seventeen horses were acknowledged for their feats on the track this season.
Brighthill Farm’s Benji King was the recipient of the Mary Lynne Ryan Young Achiever Award, while Joan Egan was awarded the Mills Reef Personality of the Year.
Award Recipients
Horse of the Year: Beauty Generation
Mills Reef Personality of the Year: Joan Egan
Mary Lynne Ryan Young Achiever of the year: Benji King
Horse: Beauty Generation
Breeder: Nearco Stud Limited
Group Ones: Stewards’ Cup (1600m), Hong Kong Mile (1600m), Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1600m), Champions Mile (1600m).
Horse: (The) Bostonian
Breeder: David Archer (Archer Equine Investments Limited)
Group Ones: Doomben 10,000 (1200m), Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m).
Horse: Danzdanzdance
Breeder: Graham and Helen-Gaye Bax
Group Ones: Captain Cook Stakes (1600m), Zabeel Classic (2000m).
Horse: Debt Collector
Breeder: Windsor Park Stud Limited
(Singapore) Group Ones: Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m), Raffles Cup (1600m).
Horse: Glory Days
Breeder: J D Georgetti & Ms G E Kenny
Group One: Auckland Cup (3200m)
Horse: Grunt
Breeder: Trelawney Thoroughbred Limited
Group One: Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m)
Horse: Humidor
Breeder: Jomara Bloodstock Limited
Group One: Memsie Stakes (1400m)
Horse: Madison County
Breeder: GJ Chittick
Group Ones: Levin Classic (1600m), NZ 2000 Guineas (1600m).
Horse: Melody Belle
Breeder: Mrs N M Leicester
Group Ones: Tarzino Trophy (1400m), Windsor Park Plate (1600m), Waikato Sprint (1400m), Haunui Farm WFA Group One Classic (1600m), New Zealand Stakes (2000m).
Horse: Nicoletta
Breeder: Goodwood Stud Limited
Group One: NZ Thoroughbred Breeders’ Stakes (1600m).
Horse: Patrick Erin
Breeder: P E Smith
Group One: Metropolitan Handicap (2400m)
Horse: Princess Jenni
Breeders: The Sunlight Trust
Group One: Schweppes Oaks (2500m)
Horse: Santa Monica
Breeders: Protech Design Trust
Group One: Railway Stakes (1200m)
Horse: Savvy Coup
Breeder: Waikato Stud Limited
Group One: Livamol Classic (2040m)
Horse: Seabrook
Breeder: W E Jeffries Limited
Group One: 2018 Champagne Stakes (1600m)
Horse: Shadows Cast
Breeder: Miss C M Harris
Group One: Thorndon Mile (1600m)
Horse: Sentimental Miss
Breeder: The Oaks Stud
Group One: New Zealand Oaks (2400m)
Horse: Verry Elleegant
Breeder: J D Goodwin
Group Ones: Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m), Australian Oaks (2400m)