There’s a familiar chestnut streaking towards the spotlight this Wednesday at Sha Tin, as Hong Kong racing fans look to see if Beauty Waves can repeat his triumph in the Group 3 National Day Cup. Last year’s winner carries the weight of expectation—and 135lb—into a compact eight-horse field in the HK$4.2 million 1000m sprint, part of the ten-race National Day public holiday program.
Trained by Tony Cruz and partnered with championship leader Zac Purton from gate two, Beauty Waves faces a competitive lineup including Invincible Sage, Raging Blizzard, Wunderbar, Fast Network, Magic Control, Bottomuptogether, and Baby Crystal. Only three days after My Wish’s impressive victory in Sunday’s G3 Celebration Cup, the sprinters are set to light up Sha Tin’s straight course.
“Beauty Waves is ready for this race. He won it last year. I believe he has a great chance again to repeat that, he’s all set and I have got Zac to ride him. Everything is in place,” Cruz said confidently.
The five-year-old Irish-bred chestnut boasts two wins over course and distance, but tomorrow brings a 20lb rise compared to the 115lb he carried in 2024 when narrowly defeating Magic Control by half a length. Rated a race-topping 114, Beauty Waves is coming off two wins in his last three starts and set a new Happy Valley 1200m course record last season in 1m 08.10s, beating Tomodachi Kokoroe, who claimed a Class 2 victory at Sha Tin last weekend.
One of his key rivals, Wunderbar, is first-up for record-breaking trainer John Size. The Rich Enuff gelding—only horse to defeat reigning Hong Kong Horse of the Year Ka Ying Rising—has seven wins from 13 starts. Size said, “He looks normal. He’s had two trials and in the second one he was fit enough to trial properly. He looks like his normal self and I think he’s going to run well again. The 1000 metres suits him. If he gets any favours he’s going to be in the finish.”
Hugh Bowman rides Wunderbar from draw six, while stablemate Raging Blizzard teams with Brenton Avdulla from barrier three. The six-time winner finished sixth behind Ka Ying Rising in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup, under testing rain on 7 September. Size noted, “He seems healthy and well, I think he raced alright on that occasion. The 1000 metres is short for him, but we’ll see if we can get some prize money.”
Size also fields Gastronomique, Noble Deluxe, Club Ace, Perfect Pairing, Raging Rapids, Mickley, and Must Go, aiming for his 14th trainers’ championship title.
The ten-race National Day Raceday kicks off at 1pm with the Class 5 Shenyang Handicap over 1400m, setting the stage for what promises to be a thrilling afternoon of Hong Kong racing.
Read the full race preview and latest updates on RaceBuzz.
