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| Sumita Pawar |
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Golden Sixty's quest for a historic fourth HKUS$22 million Gr.1 FWD Champions Mile title faced a familiar adversary at Sha Tin on 28th April, Sunday afternoon.
That adversary is none other than Zac Purton, who has now bested Hong Kong's champion in three different Group One races astride Waikuku, California Spangle, and the latest victor, Beauty Eternal.
Taking the lead uncontested, Beauty Eternal, trained by John Size, found himself in an unusual position at the forefront of the pack, entering the race as an 11/1 contender.
Despite Golden Sixty's formidable presence in the final stretch, his remarkable streak of 27 wins out of 31 starts was not to continue, as he finished three and a quarter lengths behind Beauty Eternal, who secured his first top-level victory in 1 minute and 34.52 seconds. Red Lion, another from the same stable, claimed second place, with Voyage Bubble finishing third.
“There was no speed in the race, which gave us the opportunity to lead. The last thing I said to John before the race was ‘I think the going is a lot better on the fence’, he just got into a lovely rhythm and controlled the race,” Purton said.
“I thought the only chance I had to beat Golden Sixty was to try to put a gap on them and see how we went and today was his day.
“I always felt there was always something a bit more there but he just always wants to do things wrong in the straight in his races and he can’t let down to his full potential – and today we saw that on the rail.”