Beauty Alliance has snuck into the final field for the BMW Hong Kong Derby at the 11th hour after a wide-margin victory at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, relegating South African Group 1 placegetter Mondial to the sidelines for the four-year-old feature on March 23.
Only nine days ago, John Size-trained Beauty Alliance was rated 57 and it seemed highly unlikely that he would be able to get his rating up to the cusp of the 80s – the general mark required to make the field.
However, a two-and-a-quarter length Class 4 win over the Happy Valley 1800m on March 5 took him to a rating of 65 before his three-and-a-half length Class 3 success over the same course and distance on Wednesday catapulted him up to 77.
Beauty Alliance smashes them! 🤯
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) March 12, 2025
Big win from John Size's charge in the finale at Happy Valley to give his trainer and @AlexisBadel a double each on tonight's programme… @Beautystablehk #HappyWednesday | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/qvWsBLfszd
Alexis Badel, who rode Beauty Alliance to victory on Wednesday, will retain the mount in the Derby as he aims for his second win in the race in three years.
Size, who last week looked as though he may be empty handed in this year’s Derby, now has three starters in the field of 14. Beauty Alliance will be joined by Mickley, who finished at the tail of the field in the Hong Kong Classic Cup, and Bundle Award, who qualified with a last-to-first victory at Sha Tin last weekend.
Hong Kong Jockey Club Head of Racing Product Greg Carpenter said that the manner of Beauty Alliance’s victory earned him his berth in the 2000m feature.
“The case to include him in the field became compelling after his win on Wednesday,” Carpenter told Idol Horse. “From the halfway mark, it was very genuine and he was put right into the race. He sprinted from a long way home, he was very strong down the straight and at the line and he won by an extended margin. I thought it was an exhilarating performance that made him very difficult to leave out of the race.
“Just as Bundle Award did on Sunday, it provides a different layer of complexity and another formline and storyline going into the race.”
Size said the changing face of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series meant that horses imported to Hong Kong unraced or with only a handful of starts to their name had replaced proven, high-profile names as typical Derby contenders.
“I think there is great difficulty of buying horses with high ratings so there are more horses coming in from lower ratings than there used to be,” Size said.
While the Kwok family will have another chance to win an elusive Derby with Beauty Alliance, having placed with Beauty Eternal and Beauty Generation, long-time owners James Lau and Alice Woo will be hoping for a withdrawal in the next week after South African Derby placegetter Mondial was made first reserve.
David Hayes-prepared Mondial finished 11th to stablemate Rubylot in the Classic Cup at his first start in Hong Kong. Despite having a rating of 80, he was relegated below both Beauty Alliance and Lo Rider, who have ratings in the 70s.
Mondial was not the only Group 1 placegetter abroad who was at risk of missing the field as Australian import Cap Ferrat also came under scrutiny.
“I take every decision as a heavy burden and I feel for people who have to suffer the disappointment of missing out,” Carpenter said. “It’s always hard to inform them that they haven’t got in, but as long as we can justify it, I am comfortable with the decision.
“Cap Ferrat has performed below form too but he did have Group 1 placings around horses like Tom Kitten, Riff Rocket and Ceolwulf at 2000m in Australia. In the end, Cap Ferrat finished ahead of Mondial in the Classic Cup and so that was the deciding factor.
“The race was already an exciting event, but to have these two horses in Bundle Award and Beauty Alliance come onto the scene and from different formlines makes it a really intriguing affair.”
Zac Purton partnered both Derby placegetters for the Kwoks and was approached to ride Beauty Alliance in a stunning comeback from injury but the champion jockey said he would simply run out of time to make the race.
“I’m a bit annoyed, but I’ll still be on a horse next week. I’m just a week behind,” Purton said.
Ryan Moore will ride Mickley, while Ben Thompson will take his maiden Derby mount aboard Bundle Award ∎
