By Alan Carasso
Sunday's G1 Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin lost some of its intrigue when it was announced earlier in the week that the exciting 4-year-old Thewizardofoz (Aus) (Redoute's Choice {Aus}) would be scratched from the 1400-metre feature. While that news proved disappointing to the John Size barn, the progressive Contentment (Aus) (Hussonet) stepped into the leading role with a convincing 1 3/4-length defeat of the 'Beautys'–pacesetting Beauty Flame (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) and Beauty Only (Ire) (Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}).
A winner in six of his nine starts last season, concluding with a narrow defeat of Beauty Only in a Class 1 over 1600 metres, Contentment won his first two starts this term in stakes company, but had dropped his last four, albeit with some excuses. A solid fifth behind Maurice (Jpn) (Screen Hero {Jpn}) in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile Dec. 13, he toted 132 pounds and sat a no-cover trip in the Chinese Challenge Cup H. and finished third to the well-handicapped Multivictory (NZ) (Bachelor Duke). Stepped back up to a mile for the G1 Stewards' Cup Jan. 31, he remained in the thick of things into the final stages but dropped a neck decision to HK Mile runner-up Giant Treasure (Mizzen Mast). With Moreira named on Thewizardofoz, it was Brett Prebble in the irons Sunday afternoon.
The speedy Beauty Flame jumped best from gate two and set the pace, as expected, from Contentment, who was bustled along by Prebble to keep that one close company. Multivictory got a good spot from third just ahead of favored Gold-Fun (Ire) (Le Vie Dei Colori {GB}), who looked to be traveling comfortably on the back of Contentment into the turn. Beauty Flame, well handled on the engine by Zac Purton, turned them in going well, but Contentment was full of run and the battle was joined with a furlong to race. The two matched strides for the next 50 metres or so, but Contentment found another gear and sprinted hard to win impressively. Beauty Flame clung on for second from Beauty Only, who was slow out, raced far back and rallied nicely in the lane to touch Gold-Fun out of the top three. The winner is likely to press on to the G1 Champions Mile May 1 with a potential prep in between.
“He loves his training and he loves being in work,” said the winning handler. “He seems to thrive on that–most good horses do things like that correctly. He takes his racing well. He has a lovely temperament, he's enthusiastic to do his best all the time and he deserved, and looked likely, to win a Group 1 one day and he's done it.”
The winner, an A$65,000 purchase from the Arrowfield consignment at the 2012 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale, has a 2-year-old half-sister by Gio Ponti, a yearling half-brother by Charge Forward (Aus) and a weanling half-sister by Animal Kingdom. Jemison (Aus) was bred back to Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}).
Sunday, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
QUEEN'S SILVER JUBILEE CUP-G1, HK$10,000,000 (£923,074/€1,166,451), Sha Tin, 2-28, 3yo/up, 1400mT, 1:21.24, gd.
1–&@CONTENTMENT (AUS), 126, g, 5, by Hussonet
1st Dam: Jemison (Aus), by Commands (Aus)
2nd Dam: Vista Vincere (Aus), by Scenic (Ire)
3rd Dam: Super Trend (Aus), by Red Anchor (NZ)
(A$65,000 Ylg '12 INGCLS). O-Benson Lo Tak Wing; B-P J Favretto; T-John Size; J-Brett Prebble; HK$5,700,000. Lifetime Record: 16-9-2-2, HK$18,438,600. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Beauty Flame (Ire), 126, g, 6, Footstepsinthesand+%28GB%29">Footstepsinthesand (GB)–Lucy Diamonds (Ire), by Orpen. (€7,500 RNA Wlg '10 TATIRE). O-Kwok Siu Ming; B-Tommy Murphy; T-Tony Cruz; HK$2,200,000.
3–Beauty Only (Ire), 126, g, 5, Holy Roman Emperor (Ire)–Goldendale (Ire), by Ali-Royal (Ire). (€72,000 Ylg '12 SGASEP). O-Eleanor Kwok Law Kwai Chun & Patrick Kwok Ho Chuen; B-Massimo Parri; T-Tony Cruz; HK$1,000,000.
Margins: 1 3/4, NK, NK. Odds: 14-5, 11-2, 9-2.
Also Ran: Gold-Fun (Ire), Dundonnell, Multivictory (NZ), Charles the Great (Ire), Rewarding Hero (GB), Secret Sham (Aus). Scratched: Thewizardofoz (Aus).
Click for the HKJC.com chart and VIDEO. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
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