HOT AND HIGH SET TO SIZZLE IN THE ASIAN BEAU

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, October 28, 2026

They are going to be lining up to try and knock Hot And High off her pedestal in Saturday’s $200 000 Group 3 Asian Beau Stakes at Ascot, so the question is which of the Dion Luciani trained daughter of Too Darn Hot’s rivals is going to prove capable enough to force a pause in mare’s run of success which has seen Hot And High win seven of her eight starts to date.

She certainly will be a tough nut to crack.

A winner of her first five starts, Hot And High then tasted defeat for the first time when going down by a lip in the Listed Raconteur Stakes … before reverting to type and putting the record straight with another win in the Belmont Guineas over 1600m in her final start as a three-year-old.

She then came back strongly last time when resuming after close to a four month break from race action to win the Listed R S Crawford Stakes, when coming back to the 1200m trip first-up.

Along the way, Hot And High has remained unbeaten at Ascot … and is unbeaten second-up … with both of those factors coming into play on Saturday.

Chris Parnham, who was in the saddle in Hot And High’s debut win and who returned to guide Hot And High to her latest victory, retains the ride for the Asian Beau Stakes.

Throw in a number one barrier draw and you can see why Hot And High is currently marked up as the $1.90 race favourite.

So, who is likely to have the best crack at her.

Three runners could fit that bill.

The Jason Miller trained Bonjoy scored an eye-catching runner up finish to the all-conquering King Of Light in the Group 3 Eurythmic Stakes last time over Saturday’s track and distance.

The seven-year-old had the likes of Let’s Galahvant and Watch Me Rock behind her on that occasion which rubber stamps how good a run that was. On Saturday she will jump from right next to the favourite in barrier two, but, as top weight, will have to give the favourite 2.5kg at the weights (59kg to 56.5kg).

The Adam Durrant trained Playin’ It Sweet is at the other end of the weight scale. She will carry 2,5kg less than Hot And High, a turnaround of a full 3kg from when they last met in the Crawford Stakes over 1200m where Hot And High finished 0.90 lengths ahead of the third placed Playin’ It Sweet.

Could that be a winning turnaround going over the 1400m trip? Playin’ It Sweet has won over 1500m. Hot And High has won over 1600m. Who really likes the extra ground more?

Playin’ It Sweet certainly wouldn’t be coming out of left field. She won two Listed races in a row … the Western Australian Breeders’ Classic and the Challenge Stakes … earlier in the year to round off her three-year-old campaign. The Crawford Stakes was her first run for eight months.

And then there is the Bruce Kay trained Awesome Boy who separated Hot And High and Playin’ It Sweet when running the race of his life to claim second place at long odds in the Crawford Stakes.

Awesome Boy had also won two successive starts at the end of his last preparation, and he clearly came back in a similar mood even though he was asked to tackle far stronger company, so he has posted a warning in a run that, if he can repeat it, could again put him right in the finish.

For all of that though, as the betting suggests, Hot And High remains the horse to beat! Maybe hard to bet on her at the short odds, but seemingly equally hard to bet against her.