Hong Kong racing continues at Sha Tin on Sunday (4 June) for a 10-race fixture highlighted by the running of the Group 3 Lion Rock Trophy (1600m) and the Group 3 Sha Tin Vase (1200m).
Hong Kong’s best sprinter LUCKY SWEYNESSE is back in action as he tackles the G3 Sha Tin Vase Handicap.
LUCKY SWEYNESSE needs no introduction these days, having taken all before him this season with seven wins out of nine, including three Group One races. The one that got away, undoubtedly, was the G1 Hong Kong Sprint in December, where he faced unfortunate luck during the run and had to settle for sixth place, finishing 2.5 lengths behind. The gelding, trained by Manfred Man, was last seen triumphing in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize on Champions Day, winning by a margin of 3.25 lengths.
LUCKY SWEYNESSE would have to severely under-perform to lose Sunday’s sprinting feature. However, being a handicap race, he carries the top weight of 135lbs, while facing competition from up-and-comer VICTOR THE WINNER at the bottom weights. Additionally, CORDYCEPS SIX, the winner of this race last year and making his first start for trainer Francis Lui, adds an intriguing element to the contest.
Promising four-year-old BEAUTY ETERNAL should be bouncing back to his winning ways in the Group 3 Lion Rock Trophy Handicap.
The John Size-trained BEAUTY ETERNAL has been a standout four-year-old this season after winning five of his eight races. After a third-place finish in the Hong Kong Derby three starts ago, the Starspangledbanner gelding dropped back to 1400m and won narrowly but impressively. Subsequently, he struck a yielding surface on his most recent start, seemingly disliking the rain-affected track and finishing runner-up to stablemate RED LION, who has since won again.
With the Four-Year-Old Classic Series form being the strongest it has been in some time; BEAUTY ETERNAL has the opportunity to bolster it some more and end the season on a winning note
