Any thoughts Beauty Flash might not measure up as a Hong Kong Derby horse were dispelled in the final stages of a Chevalier Cup win that had trainer Tony Cruz tagging the four-year-old's attitude as perfect.
The first half of a late afternoon double for Cruz and apprentice Matthew Chadwick, Beauty Flash had no sooner gone clear in the day's 1,400m feature than the odds-on favourite looked in trouble.
The John Moore-trained Kings Falcon came from well back in the field and had all the momentum as he swooped on Beauty Flash inside the last 120m and got within half a length of him.
With Chadwick shaking the favourite up for a response, Beauty Flash moved away to win by over a length again at the post, with Kings Falcon a dominant two-and-a-half lengths ahead of the remainder.
That took Beauty Flash's Hong Kong record to four wins from five starts and he has already set himself up as one of the top contenders for the Derby over 2,000m in March.
'He just has the right type of attitude for racing,' Cruz said.
'He's such a calm horse, he waits all the time and then responds. He waits for his jockey to ask for something, then he gives it.