Persistence finally paid off for Southern Legend in the FWD Champions Mile at Sha Tin on Sunday as one of Hong Kong's best supporting actors finally got the better of local hero Beauty Generation in the FWD Champions Mile.
Beauty Generation was bidding to become the first horse in history to win the £2m contest three times and was sent off at 1.6 to win the ninth G1 of his record-breaking career.
John Moore's seven-year-old showed all his trademark courage, battling on heroically under a relentless drive from Zac Purton as the first two set down for a sustained battle in the final 200m.
However, Southern Legend, sent off at 9-1, proved every bit as determined under Hong Kong's man-of-the-moment. The rugged seven-year-old was 0-8 against Beauty Generation over the last two seasons but this time Vincent Ho forced his nose down at the perfect moment to score by a short head as the first two drew clear of Waikuku.
Incredible. @Vincenthocy lands his first G1 as Southern Legend narrowly gets the better of Beauty Generation! 👏🏆 #HKracing pic.twitter.com/Vk4fjBx2BR
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 26, 2020
Ho, who impressed in a summer stint with Mark Johnston last year and scaled new heights on home soil with last month's BMW Hong Kong Derby win on Golden Sixty, was beaming on pulling up after the first international G1 success of his career.
"I knew it was close and Zac's horse was coming back at me," he said. "It's very special to win this for my boss Caspar Fownes. He's supported me a lot since I started and he still trusted me for this race."
He added: "Southern Legend didn't jump that sharp, maybe because the visor was off, but I got a good spot and the pace was actually quite slow. Southern Legend has won over 1800m and run well over 2000m as well, so I was sure he could sustain the run to the end. It's amazing. It's taken about ten years but I've been working very hard and hopefully there's plenty more to come."
The colourful Fownes, who mentored Ho for several years after he emerged from the HKJC Apprentice School, was breaking a lengthy drought in HK G1's and only brought this one to the top of his agenda once the coronavirus crisis ruled out a bid for a third win in the Kranji Mile.
"As horses get older you have to try and freshen them up," he said. "Once this virus hit we had to change plans pretty quickly and his last run (when a close third to Beauty Generation in the Chairman's Trophy) really showed us he was up to giving a big effort this start.
Team Southern Legend! 🤝
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) April 26, 2020
It's a first G1 win for @Vincenthocy. 👏👏 #HKracing pic.twitter.com/K7Vr78yhUT
"He's been a real iron horse, has beaten the best on their day, and now he's beaten the best horse Hong Kong has ever seen in Beauty Generation. But for me personally it's all about Vincent getting this win for me. He's a great kid and I'm so proud of him.
"He deserves that more than anyone and, as you can see, with hard work if you just keep plugging away things will come your way. For him to do this on my horse is extra special and hopefully next season, if the local boys and all of us get behind him, we can put him up there to fight it out with Zac and Joao."
Moore, who heads into compulsory retirement in July having reached 70, made an intriguing comment before the race when suggesting that this "mightn't be my last" time saddling Beauty Generation.
Meanwhile, Fownes joked that "I haven't told Southern Legend that he's turning eight this August so we'll just keep that a bit of a secret." He added: "I always believe if horses are producing and have the ability to earn money they should keep going and once they start to show they've had enough, that's when we retire them."
