TOP BEAUTIFUL 同得福

3rd September 2017

Price Bloodstock opened the new Hong Kong season with the first winner, and what a winner that was, with Top Beautiful mopping up his opposition at the first time of asking and bringing some nostalgic comments from trainer Chris So.

Boxing Day, 2002, saw the debut of Price Bloodstock’s all time flagship great, Silent Witness, and he strolled home in a similar race down the straight at Sha Tin that set him on a path to greatness and So wasn’t holding back after Top Beautiful won in the same style.

Asked by the press whether Top Beautiful was at good odds because he had not been pressured to barrier trial impressively, unlike the other two favourites in the race, So just laughed.

“I wasn’t worried that other horses had won their trials. Top Beautiful is a horse that just does what you want him to do – if you let him relax, he will relax,” he said. “You only have to look at his trackwork when Joao Moreira was on him last season to see his true ability. He was running 22 and 21 seconds in workouts down the back straight. When they are doing Silent Witness-like times in trackwork, I don’t worry about where they finish in barrier trials!”

And Top Beautiful’s win had all the push button talent of the former great sprinter, beginning fast, relaxing in the lead and travelling well within himself until Moreira shook the reins at him and he left the rest standing to win by four lengths.

“That was quite easy and he is an exciting horse,” said So, who has formed a tremendous partnership with Price Bloodstock in the past few seasons.