Consolidating status as Hong Kong’s premier sprinter with a facile triumph in the Group 2 Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, Lucky Sweynesse will next attempt to add further lustre to an increasingly imposing record with a tilt at the HK$20 million Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) as Manfred Man considers overseas options.
The authority contained in Lucky Sweynesse’s one-length win over reigning Hong Kong Champion Sprinter Wellington and Master Eight prompted trainer Man to describe the Sweynesse gelding as “very special” before outlining ambitious plans for the four-year-old.
Boosting his prize money earnings to $32,485,200 with an 11th win from 15 starts, Lucky Sweynesse will lead Hong Kong’s arsenal of speedsters in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize before being set for a possible shot at the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen (1600m) on 4 June.
The first horse to win six races this season in Hong Kong, Lucky Sweynesse coped admirably with the drop in distance following hollow victory in the G1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) on 19 March despite making a ragged start today.
“He looked a bit slow this time (out of the barriers),” Man said before addressing the chances of a Yasuda Kinen assignment. “I think at this moment we will enter June in Tokyo, and then I will need to discuss it with the owner. I will discuss with the owner first. I think (he can show the same quality over 1600m) because his last run over 1400m he ran very well. He took a sit and showed us his dash.
“He’s very special for me.”
Unfazed by Lucky Sweynesse’s notoriously unpredictable barrier manners, Purton revealed the four-year-old again misbehaved in the gates before scrambling from the barriers as expected leader Whizz Kid missed the start badly.
“It’s not a nice feeling sitting on him (Lucky Sweynesse) in the gates because he gets it wrong sometimes – I knew he was going to get it wrong today,” Purton said. “He wouldn’t focus, he was moving around too much. It’s just him, he wouldn’t look at the gates.
After allowing Lucky Sweynesse to gather and build momentum, Purton was content to sit behind Master Eight and Wellington.
“I was still in the spot I thought I would be, but I’d prefer to be there travelling rather than having to fight for the spot. For the first half of the race, it worked out well but then when they backed the speed off and bunched coming to the corner, I had to come out and let him stride but he was always going to win.”
Supremely confident in his mount’s superiority, Purton knew the race was in his control a long way from home.
Clocking an overall time of 1:09.15, Lucky Sweynesse took control with a terminal 21.74s surge over the final 400m to down four-time Group 1 winner Wellington for the third consecutive race.
2023 Group 2 Sprint Cup Replay – Lucky Sweynesse
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