Pensioned from stud duty earlier this year, Arrowfield Stud’s outstanding sire Not a Single Doubt added a 14th Group I winner to his tally and fifth this season when his seven year-old gelding Southern Legend beat the favourite Beauty Generation to win the HK $20million Group I Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Southern Legend was supposed to be preparing for a third straight win in the Kranji Mile, but Plan B worked out a far better option.
With the Singapore target off the radar due to the global pandemic, the Caspar Fownes-trained galloper instead snatched the biggest win of his career in the Champions Mile.
In a head-bobbing victory, he scuppered the great Beauty Generation’s attempt to not only become the race’s only three-time winner but also the first Hong Kong-trained horse to win 19 races.
“We had the opportunity to set Southern Legend and go for the Singapore race, to try and go for three wins in a row there, but when this virus hit we had to change plans pretty quickly,” trainer Caspar Fownes said.
“He’s beaten the best on their day, there’s no doubt about that – when horses were flying, he beat Pakistan Star, Nothingilikemore and now the best horse Hong Kong’s ever seen, Beauty Generation.”
Southern Legend had performed below-par through the middle of this season, suggesting perhaps that time was catching up with him, but ran a sound race earlier this month when third to Beauty Generation in the G2 Chairman’s Trophy (1600m).
“It’s like anything, as horses get older you’ve got to freshen them up a little bit, get their mind back on their job,” Fownes said. “I think his last run really showed us that he was up to giving a big effort this start.”
Southern Legend has the overall record of eight wins from 31 races and improved upon his only previous Champions Mile run, when third to Beauty Generation in 2018.
Fownes is looking forward to more good days with the Australian-bred.
“I haven’t told him he’s turning eight in August yet so we’ll keep that a bit of a secret!” the trainer joked.
“I’ll just try to keep him happy and healthy and I always believe if horses are producing and have the ability to earn money for their owners, we keep going. When they’ve had enough, that’s when we retire them.”
A $280,000 Inglis Easter purchase for Neville Begg and Carmel Size for Bon Ho from the Corumbene Stud draft, Southern Legend is the best of four winners from winning Carnegie (IRE) mare Donna’s Appeal, a daughter of stakes-winner Donna Natalia.
Donna’s Appeal has weanling a colt by Epaulette and is in foal to Dundeel.
Southern Legend’s owner Bon Ho was the third biggest buyer at Inglis Easter this year securing nine yearlings for $4,325,000 and his purchases are below.
