Beauty Generation runs a gallant second on his Hong Kong debut last month.
Hong Kong Jockey Club
Moore had a big morning at the barrier trials on Tuesday with a number of his classic contenders stepping out, and he hopes that Sunday's Class 2 Violet Handicap (1600m) may be a stepping stone to the Hong Kong Classic Mile for two of his four-year-olds, Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock) and Rodrico (High Chaparrel).
Beauty Generation stamped himself as a horse to watch for the Four-Year-Old Classic Series with his first Hong Kong run, when he finished three-quarters of a length second to My Darling on 27 December under Zac Purton, and Moore says he needed to run the Australian import once more before he stepped up to the classics.
"Beauty Generation will be taking one step closer to his Derby target here," Moore said. "He could have gone straight to the Classic Mile but he's a big, bulky fellow so I think this race will just improve his fitness. He was just out this morning and had a gallop and he loves it, he loves Hong Kong and he's a happy horse. He'll progress from here, too. His Australian form continues to look strong and I'm sure Zac is very happy with the way things are going for the horse."
For his part, Purton believes that Beauty Generation is spot-on at the moment for a horse headed to March's BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m).
"His first-up run was great, he did everything we hoped he was going to do," he said. "He relaxed nicely, it was quite a fast-run race so it wasn't out of the ordinary to see him relax the way that he did but he's a relaxed customer in the mornings anyway and he powered to the line in good fashion.
"You only have to look at him to get a good feeling about him. He's a lovely horse to look at, he's got a great attitude and he's done nothing wrong since the first day I got on him. He continues to work well and keeps progressing the way we want him to progress. He goes home and he eats his head off, John said he can't keep his head out of the feed bin, so that's a good sign, he's obviously enjoying himself here. He's right where you want him to be for a Derby horse."
Moore also sends out Rodrico, who finished second to his new stablemate Eagle Way in the G1 Queensland Derby (2400m) in June, for his first run since in the Violet Handicap, with Sam Clipperton jumping aboard the son of High Chaparral.
"He's in a very tough race, it looks the race of the day," Clipperton said. "But he's a nice horse, he's obviously got good form from Australia. He doesn't carry a lot of condition and he's pretty forward I think, he's had the two trials over a mile. It will be interesting to see how he goes, we'll get a good guide on him, particularly in that race."