The other seven runners will need plenty of luck of their own if they are to beat Lucky Sweynesse in the Chairman’s Sprint Prize on Sunday at Sha Tin.
The four-year-old is 1.50 with William Hill for the six furlong contest, which is part of the Global Sprint Challenge, and therefore the strong favourite to land the £1.2 million prize money.
※ Current Odds Date & Time: April 28th, 1:30 P.M. (BST)
Only ever racing in Hong Kong, Lucky Sweynesse has won all of his four runs in 2023 and 11 of 15 in his career.
The 4-year-old, trained by Manfred Man, won the Grade 1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup and Centenary Sprint Cup this year before taking the Grade 2 Sprint Cup at Sha Tin last time out.
Zac Purton will be on board as he has been for the majority of the gelding’s career.
Wellington (5.00) was second twice and third once to Lucky Sweynesse in those three races and has seen his rival triumph in five of his last six runs.
However, the one time Lucky Sweynesse failed to perform – in the Grade 1 Hong Kong Sprint in December – it was Wellington who took first place.
All 22 of the 6-year-old’s races have been at this track, with the most significant for this weekend being his victories in this race in the last two years.
Attempting to be the first horse to win this for a third year running, his trainer Richard Gibson maintains the partnership with jockey Alexis Badel.
Sight Success finished sixth in last year’s running before a few disappointing runs but since then has finished in the top four of his last five races, often losing out only to Lucky Sweynesse and Wellington. As a result he is now at 9.00 with James McDonald riding him for the first time.
Sight Success was fourth last time out in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan and one place back was Duke Wai (15.00), who has not fared well in Group 1 company of late, including seventh of eight in the Centenary Sprint.
Flaming Rib and Aguri are both at 26.00. Hugo Palmer’s Flaming Rib took the best result of his career with a second in the Grade 1 Commonwealth Cup but has since struggled for form.
Aguri has only raced four times and returned to action in February after last appearing in 2021. The return was successful, taking the Grade 3 Hankyu Hai at Hanshin before a seventh in his first Grade 1 run at Chukyo last month.
Courier Wonder (34.00) – never better than third at this level – and Master Eight (67.00) – never better than seventh – complete the field.
