Cover image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Beauty Joy wins back-to-back Premier Plates
Tony Cruz-trained 9-year-old gelding Beauty Joy (Sebring) defied retirement plans in winning back-to-back G3 Premier Plates on Sunday night. He has run on this evening five times, winning the G3 Premier Plate in 2026 and 2025, and was second in 2024. In 2023, he ran fourth in the G3 Premier Cup, having won that race in 2022.
“I said to Simon Kwok, the owner, last year when he ran this race when he was an 8-year-old, I said ‘if he wins we’ll keep going for another season, if we lose we’ll retire him’,” Cruz told scmp.com. The last 9-year-old to win a group race in Hong Kong was Able One (NZ) (Cape Cross {Ire}) in the 2011 Group 1 Hong Kong Mile.
“He’s (Beauty Joy) been a very genuine horse – a very difficult horse to race, but he’s got a fighting heart.” - Tony Cruz
“Well he has won again, and he just said to me it looks like we’ll keep going. We’ll run one more race in the Racehorse Owners’ Association Cup (on July 12) and then make the final decision. At the age of 10, it could be a bit too old for him. He’s been a very genuine horse – a very difficult horse to race, but he’s got a fighting heart.”
Now the winner of 12 of his 60 starts, Beauty Joy won his first four in succession in Perth including the 2020 Listed JC Roberts Stakes when named Talladega. He arrived in Hong Kong in 2021. In Hong Kong, he has earnings over HK$40.36 million (AU$7.35 million) with another $200,000 earned in Australia.
Beauty Joy is the third foal of Impressive Jeuney (Jeune {GB}) who has had four foals after him but hasn’t been served for the past two seasons. She has produced three winners, and has a yearling colt by Aysar as her most recent foal.
Impressive Jeuney was a tough mare herself, winning six times including the G3 Western Australian Oaks and three other Listed races.
Classic series form holds up into Cup
The form from the 4-Year-Old Series held up into the G3 Premier Cup with Listed Classic Mile winner Little Paradise (Toronado {Ire}) bouncing out of the series into winning the G3 Premier Cup on Sunday for trainer Jimmy Ting.
“It’s obviously a lucky week for myself and the connections, so it’s good,” jockey Zac Purton told hkjc.com. Little Paradise’s owner Ko Kam Piu raced the 2012 G1 King’s Stand Stakes winner Little Bridge (NZ) (Faltaat {USA}).
“He’s (Ting) been turning the horse out as well as he can. I’m just happy for him today that the horse got a nice clean run and was able to show what he can do. He probably wasn’t at his best today after having that break and just the one trial coming into and he ran good time. So, I think next season, with a break, there’s every chance he could take another step,” Purton said.
Ting will spell Little Paradise and aim him at the big Group 1 meeting in December.
“After the (Champions) Mile he was a bit tired, so I gave him a short break and then I talked to the owner and said that maybe we run him in this race. The owner highly recommended to run in this race, so we’re lucky that we could win,” Ting told scmp.com.
“I think the fitness was only 90 per cent because after the race he was a bit tired. It’s lucky that his form is coming up, and he got a good draw and a good jockey. The 1400 metres was suitable for him and he got a light weight, and that’s why he could win. He scared me because the last 50 metres I think that he was a bit tired, so he nearly lost.
“I hope that after the break he (Little Paradise) gets a little bit of improvement, and hopefully the target will be to run in the (Hong Kong) Mile.” - Jimmy Ting
“I hope that after the break he gets a little bit of improvement, and hopefully the target will be to run in the (Hong Kong) Mile. I still think that 1400 metres or 1600 metres is the best distance for this horse, and I hope that he will improve.”
Jimmy Ting | Image courtesy of the Hong Kong Jockey Club
Little Paradise has spent his whole 13 race career in Hong Kong, winning seven times with earnings over HK$16.25 million (AU$2.8 million). He was sold by Carramer Park for $270,000 at the Inglis Classic Yearling Sale to Dullingham and Legends Bloodstock.
His dam, Devil In Her Heart (Star Witness) has five foals of racing age, and Little Paradise is the only one to make it to the starting gates so far. She also has a yearling colt by Farnan. She is an unraced half-sister to Group 2 winner Olentia (Zoustar), Group 3 winner Wandabaa (Wandjina), and Listed winner Malkovich (Choisir).
Toronado (Ire) had a double on the card with Cody Mo-trained Flying Knight.
Ting and Purton enjoyed a double with Come Fast Fay Fay (NZ) (Wrote {Ire}), and Purton made it a treble for the night aboard Jamie Richards-trained Chicken Dinner (NZ) (Swiss Ace).
Trainer’s Premiership battle continues
Caspar Fownes extended his lead on the Hong Kong Trainer’s Premiership when Winning Machine (Lean Mean Machine) was victorious early on the card. Chasing his fifth Hong Kong trainers’ title, Fownes took his season to 63 wins.
Danny Shum pulled the gap back when Jerry Chau won aboard Call Me Magnifique (The Autumn Sun). He sits on 59 wins, one ahead of Mark Newnham on 58, with Francis Lui on 54 and David Hayes on 52.
A winner at Hawkesbury in November 2025, Call Me Magnifique ran poorly in his first two starts in Hong Kong, but came through for the win on Sunday to take his career record to four wins from 12 starts. He earned a PP Bonus of HK$1.5 million (AU$273,000) for this victory.
Yui and Yuen combine for a double
Trainer Ricky Yiu nabbed a double on the card, with both ridden by apprentice jockey Nichola Yuen, with 3-year-old gelding Rapid Phantom (NZ) (Hello Youmzain {Fr}) and Packing Glory (NZ) (Harry Angel {Ire}). Rapid Phantom is co-owned by BMW Hong Kong Derby ambassador Donnie Yen.
“A great ride by the jockey – Nichola rode him before, she knows the horse and the horse has improved a lot since the last run,” Yiu said of Rapid Phantom. “Hopefully, I can find another 1000 metres for him for the rest of the season.”
“A great ride by the jockey – Nichola rode him (Rapid Phantom) before, she knows the horse and the horse has improved a lot since the last run.” - Ricky Yiu
Placed on debut in Hong Kong, Rapid Phantom won his maiden at his third attempt. He was sold by Cambridge Stud for NZ$120,000 at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale to Karsen KT Choi.
Yuen took her record to 12 wins since joining the Hong Kong jockey roster on April 1 with the double.
“Before the race, Ricky told me to just aim for Zac – that’s the only thing we knew. After the jump, straight away I was just aiming and focusing on where Zac was. He gave me a really good kick and he really hit the line very strong. He’s very honest,” she said.
“I’m so glad to have ridden a double; riding one for the boss makes it especially meaningful.”
Packing Glory hadn’t won since he won on debut in November 2025 with seven starts and four placings in the meantime. He was the second-equal top price at the 2023 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run Sale at NZ$800,000. Notably the sale topper for the same sale was Listed winner Megastar Heart (Star Turn) at NZ$825,000, and recent G3 Sha Tin Vase winner Patch Of Stars (All Too Hard) was the equal price with Packing Glory.
Packing Glory was originally sold at the New Zealand Bloodstock National Yearling Sale by Inglewood Stud for NZ$125,000 to RTR Partnership and McKeever Bloodstock. He is the first foal of G3 Manawatu Breeders' Stakes-placed Monrecour (NZ) (Zacinto {GB}).
