SHA TIN – CHAMPIONS’ DAY
Our man Neil has been in Hong Kong throughout this week and has had the opportunity to see the Champions’ Day runners put through their paces ahead of the big meeting. Check out his picks for the Chairman’s Sprint Prize, the Champions Mile and QE II Cup below:
Race 5 CHAIRMAN’S SPRINT PRIZE (Group 1)
No 1 LUCKY SWEYNESSE
Trainer: Manfred Man – Jockey: Zac Purton
While it might be a little far-fetched to say local sprinters have an iron claw wrapped around this HK$20 million purse, it would not be a total surprise if LUCKY SWEYNESSE led home his compatriot and 2022 champion sprinter WELLINGTON, the two horses that have dominated this discipline at Sha Tin this year.
Lucky Sweynesse has six wins in his locker this season including the Group 1 Centenary Sprint Cup and the Group 1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, and with each appearance his superiority over the two years older Wellington seems to be growing. The Manfred Man-trained four-year-old does far more talking on the track than his handler affords members of the media, and under Zac Purton can extend his winning spree, though whether he takes up the offer to contest the Platinum Jubilee at Royal Ascot is open to conjecture.
Richard Gibson has already spoken of an Ascot challenge with Wellington, but that was when his charge rather fortuitously downed Lucky Sweynesse in the Hong Kong Sprint in December. Subsequent evidence is that 12-race winner Wellington is not as good as he was, and might be as effective over 1400 metres than the sprint distance.
If there’s a joker in the pack it might be the Hugo Palmer-trained FLAMING RIB who has exuded a bright persona on the track this week and is better going round a bend than galloping straight, as shown with his triumph at Doha in February.
SIGHT SUCCESS took home a minor cheque in the Al Quoz Sprint on Dubai, with Flaming Rib behind, and John Size’s charge also enters the argument and could serve it up to them racing handily from the gate.
Prediction: 1st LUCKY SWEYNESSE, 2nd Flaming Rib, 3rd Wellington, 4th Sight Success
