Hot King Prawn had won six of seven heading into his four-year-old season, but there was still a feeling the John Size-trained speed machine lacked the toughness to take the next step. The G3 National Day Cup was where Hot King Prawn became a horse of substance, prevailing in a head-to-head tussle with stablemate Ivictory.
“I know how Lewis Hamilton feels now, that was unbelievable,” winning jockey Karis Teetan said after Hot King Prawn’s show of sustained speed.
“This is a proper horse, a Group 1 horse,” Teetan added.
It would take more than two years for Teetan to be proven correct, but Hot King Prawn eventually broke through at the top level in the 2021 G1 Centenary Sprint Cup. That triumph came after a long layoff due to a colic attack and operation. “He had a major interruption with colic surgery, so I left him off the track for about 10 months,” Size said upon the horse’s retirement. “He won a Group 1 after that, which is quite unusual.”
Hot King Prawn retired with more than HK$37.6 million in prize money in 2022, and the gorgeous grey now competes as a show horse in Australia.
Sometimes necessity is the mother of invention, and so it is with tactics. When Beauty Generation drew barrier 13 in the 2017 G3 Celebration Cup on National Day, few gave him a realistic chance against a field that included last-start winner Seasons Bloom and future star Time Warp.
Trainer John Moore and jockey Derek Leung Ka-chun saw little hope if he went back from the gate, especially on a good-to-yielding track. So they concocted a bold plan - surge forward, take control, and trust Beauty Generation’s stamina to run his rivals ragged.
The 17-to-one outsider’s dominant front-running display unlocked the hidden potential of a horse who had finished third behind Rapper Dragon and Pakistan Star in that year’s Hong Kong Derby. Three starts later, Leung would again lead all the way in the 2017 G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile, the first top-level victory for both horse and jockey.
Beauty Generation went on to win the next two Celebration Cups in a career where he became the first Hong Kong horse to surpass HK$100 million in prize money.
Hong Kong racing fans didn’t know it at the time, but the 2001 National Day Cup (1,400 meters) was the final act of one of the city’s greatest champions. Carrying a crushing 133 pounds, Fairy King Prawn produced a performance worthy of his legend, surging past Meridian Star to win by two lengths in a course-record one minute, 21.3 seconds.
Trainer Ivan Allan admitted pre-race that his star was “underdone,” yet the dual Horse of the Year defied expectations with sheer class and will. It was a run that left handicappers and fans stunned - a champion’s statement of supremacy.
After the race, owner Philip Lau Sak-hong and Allan decided the galloper had nothing left to prove. Minor tendon soreness and the rigors of international travel convinced them to retire him sound and on top, rather than risk another campaign.
Fairy King Prawn retired with 12 wins from 26 starts, including the G1 Yasuda Kinen in Tokyo and more than HK$45 million in prize money. His farewell, fittingly on National Day, showcased everything that made him beloved - courage, speed, and heart. It was the perfect ending for a horse who redefined Hong Kong racing’s global reach.
After a breakout 2010-11 season that saw him crowned Hong Kong Horse of the Year, Ambitious Dragon returned from a summer spell with questions hanging over his ability to pick up where he left off. Trainer Tony Millard chose the G3 National Day Cup (1,400m) as a sharp opening test for a proven middle-distance star.
Carrying 133 pounds, the gelding silenced all doubts. Under Douglas Whyte, Ambitious Dragon settled midfield before unleashing a devastating late burst to reel in Able One and Sunny King, scoring with authority and signaling he had lost none of his brilliance.
“It was just a warm-up - he’ll only get better,” Millard said, warning rivals of what was to come. The win kicked off another dominant season, highlighted by victory in the G1 Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) and G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m), capped by a second consecutive Horse of the Year title.
The 2011 National Day Cup wasn’t just a comeback - it was a declaration of intent.
Of the great John Size training efforts - think Luger’s 2015 Derby or Glorious Days in the 2013 Hong Kong Mile - one that should never be forgotten is the brilliant comeback of Entrapment. On the same day that Ambitious Dragon wowed the National Day crowd, Entrapment maintained his unbeaten record at eight-from-eight, outdueling the almighty Sacred Kingdom in a straight-track slugfest.
What made the win so special was what Entrapment had to overcome. After a record-breaking three-year-old campaign, the sprinter developed a mysterious, career-threatening nervous disorder that baffled vets and sidelined him for 15 months. His temperament became unpredictable, and his future uncertain.
Size never lost faith. Through patient handling and quiet perseverance, he brought Entrapment back to health and back to the races. “He’s come back as good as ever,” Size said with pride after the win.
The 2011 Celebration Cup was a triumph of true horsemanship and belief. Entrapment’s resilience and Size’s skill combined to produce one of Hong Kong racing’s most heartfelt moments.
