New Hong Kong SW for Starspangledbanner

Tara Madgwick - Wednesday October 2

The Group III National Day Cup (1000m) at Sha Tin on Tuesday delivered a new stakes-winner for Starspangledbanner when Irish bred gelding Beauty Waves charged to the line to win in a slick 55.72 seconds.

Beauty Waves wins the G3 National Day Cup - image HKJC

Trained by Pierre Ng and ridden by Alexis Badel, Beauty Waves was a winner in Ireland at Dundalk as a two year-old before being sold to Hong Kong and the four year-old has made good progress through his grades.

Advertisement

Second when returning this season behind highly rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising, he proved the strength of that form when forging clear to win by half a length.

Ng indicated his planning with Beauty Waves would be dictated by how high the 93-rater rises in the handicap following this first Black Type success.

He improves every race for me. Last time we were running against a very good horse (Ka Ying Rising) and he still ran second. He did everything well today,” Ng said. “We’ll see how many points he’s going to be put up.”

Winning rider Alexis Badel was full of praise for Beauty Waves.

“I was confident. He’s a good horse, he only got beaten last time by a very special horse. Coming back to a shorter trip didn’t worry me. He’s got class and he’s got speed,” said Badel.

“He began very well and I didn’t want to face the breeze the whole way. I was just trying to rate him as good as possible and his class with the light weight (115lb) made the difference.”

With five wins and seven placings from 14 starts, Beauty Waves has been super consistent and is the best of two winners from Little Sweetheart,a winning half-sister by Lawman to stakes-winner Queen Amira from stakes-winner Lady Gin.

Starspangledbanner, click for more info.

He is the 45th stakes-winner for Starspangledbanner, who is back at Coolmore Australia this spring at a fee of $44,000.

Advertisment
More Reading...
End Of An Era - 2025 G1 Cox Plate
“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still” - Franklin D Roosevelt.
Winning Return for Blueblood I Am Invincible Filly
Last seen finishing an unlucky fourth in the $1million Magic Millions National 2YO Classic in May, speedy I Am Invincible filly Sisstainable returned from a spell at Moonee Valley on Friday night to score a tenacious win.
A Century of NZB National Yearling Sales Success: Cox Plate
Moonee Valley’s A$6m Group One WS Cox Plate (2040m) is known as the weight-for-age championship of Australasia and has been won by many of Australia and New Zealand’s greatest thoroughbreds.
Coolmore Favs get the Flemington Straight Experience in Jump Outs
Beiwacht, Beadman and Skyhook, three of the top four in the market for next month’s Group One Coolmore Stud Stakes had a jump out down the Flemington straight on Friday with Beadman quite the eye-catcher.
Magic Millions First Digital Sale - Opportunities Aplenty
Bidding is now open for the first Magic Millions Digital Sale with opportunities across all levels of the market for prospective buyers.
Juvenile Trial Watch – Rosehill
The Rosehill trials on Friday morning featured a couple of juvenile heats and both winners came out of the Widden Stud draft at Magic Millions with one topping the sale at $2.8million and the other selling for a modest $150,000.
Good News Week for Geisel Park
Geisel Park’s black-type mare Laced Up Heels is in foal off a maiden cover to Champion Australian Sire Zoustar and an orphan foal has found a new mum.
Second Wootton Bassett Son Added to Coolmore Stallion Roster for 2026
Set to join Camille Pissarro as the second G1 winning son of Wootton Bassett on the stallion roster for Ireland in 2026 is Henri Matisse, who this time last year was about to claim his first G1 victory at the Breeders Cup meeting at Del Mar.
NZB Breeze Up Footage Now Available to View Online
The highly anticipated Breeze Up videos for NZB’s 2025 Ready to Run Sale are now available to view online at nzb.co.nz.
Breeding To Win – 2025 G1 MVRC Cox Plate
An emotional week in Australasian racing approaches its crescendo as we count down to the final Cox Plate before a radical new era in its history begins and we mourn the passing of one of its greatest champions.