Queensland Derby tilt for HK-owned horse
Kwok’s target Aussie G1 before bringing Beauty Swift home
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Champion miler Beauty Generation, who was regularly ridden by champion jockey Zac Purton, was the banner horse for the Kwok family in Hong Kong in the late 2010s. They will watch with great interest their famous black, pink and white silks carried by Beauty Swift in the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2,400m) at Eagle Farm on May 30.
PHOTO: HKJC
BRISBANE – The Queensland Derby has been a long-range plan for emerging stayer Beauty Swift, and further down the track, a shot at the Hong Kong version beckons.
The three-year-old is raced by the Kwok family, who has a strong presence in the Asian racing centre where they have enjoyed tremendous success with the likes of Beauty Generation.
The son of Road To Rock started his career in Australia as Montaigne, finishing runner-up in the 2016 Rosehill Guineas before going on to become a six-time Group 1 winner overseas.
Beauty Swift’s trainer Matthew Smith says the Kwok family is keen to follow a similar route with the two-time winner, but he is hopeful of snaring a major in Australia first.
“I imagine the plan is to go to Hong Kong for the Derby over there. That would be the long-term plan, but we will see if we can win one here first,” said Smith.
“They’re Hong Kong owners. They’ve got all the ‘Beauty’ horses there, Beauty Generation and those horses.
“They’re looking for horses to take to Hong Kong to be competitive there as their father would rather race them up there than here.”
Smith has had the A$1 million (S$915,000) Group 1 Queensland Derby (2,400m) on May 30 as a target for Beauty Swift since his victory in a 1,600m maiden at Nowra in November.
The gelding was given a solid grounding on the provincial circuit, culminating in a Kembla Grange win in April, before Smith stepped him up in class to the Group 3 Rough Habit Plate (2,000m) where he closed for second to all-the-way winner Kilman on May 16.
By Pierro out of Beauty Option, a Redoute’s Choice mare, Beauty Swift is expected to appreciate the extra journey of the Derby, although his task has been made more challenging after drawing the second outside gate in the 18-horse field.
“He’s a nice stayer. He’s progressive and I think he’ll keep improving,” said Smith who has booked the Kembla Grange-winning jockey for the ride, Kerrin McEvoy.
“He’s the right horse. In the Rough Habit Plate, the top four seemed to be staying on better than the rest.”
Beauty Swift has eased from 16-1 to 20-1 since the declaration of the final field on May 26, with the Chris Waller-trained pair of Providence and Monopolistic equal favourites at 4-1.
Accidental Bid (5-1), filly Solid Gold (6-1) and Kilman (8-1) are the only other runners at single-figure odds. SKY RACING WORLD
