Rounding out the top three picks from our panel of experts is Sword Point, who ran a bold second in the Classic Cup after being ridden against what would seem his most effective pattern.
Rightly sensing that the Classic Cup could be run at a similarly steady tempo to the Classic Mile, in which jockey Jamie Kah dominated in front on Voyage Bubble, Hugh Bowman elected to put Sword Point closer to the speed.
The tactical switch seemed the right move and that adaptability should come in handy on March 19 when Hugh Bowman attempts to win his third Hong Kong Derby.
Galaxy Witness (up one spot to fourth) and Flagship Warrior (unranked to sixth) were others to move up in the rankings, while the ‘new’ horse on the scene is Straight Arron, who re-enters the top 14 after appearing in the very first iteration.
Straight Arron brought strong Australian form to Hong Kong but had failed to fire in three starts under David Hayes.
A transfer to Caspar Fownes appears to have turned him around and a Class 3 victory over a mile on Sunday was good enough to propel him to number seven in our rankings.
2023 Hong Kong Derby: updated rankings
1. Beauty Eternal 永遠美麗 (94) ⬆️
2. Super Sunny Sing 新力高升 (94 ) ⬆️
3. Sword Point 知足常樂 (89) ⬆️
4. Galaxy Witness 喜旺駒 (86) ⬆️
5. Tuchel 自勝者強 (88) ⬇️
6. Flagship Warrior 旗幟鬥士 (84) ⬆️
7. Straight Arron 直線力山 (81) ⬆️
8. Atullibigeal 增有 (85) ⬆️
9. Voyage Bubble 遨遊氣泡 (93) ⬇️
10. Sinba 開心寶貝 (79) ⬆️
11. Majestic Colour 彩虹千里 (80) ⬆️
12. Bon’s A Pearla 一代天嬌 (80) ⬆️
13. Keefy 瑪瑙 (99) ⬇️
14. Beautyverse 美麗宇宙 (87) ⬇️