Manfred Man is satisfied that Lucky Sweynesse is ready to take on the world’s highest-rated sprinter Ka Ying Rising in the G1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin on April 27.
The Man-trained six-year-old will have his first start since he suffered a fracture to his left fore cannon bone when winning the G2 Sprint Cup (1200m) in April last year, an injury that required surgery and a long recuperation.
That recovery has been slightly stop-start: Man initially hoped Lucky Sweynesse would only need “three to four months” to recover fully, but after a year out, a barrier trial win on Tuesday morning at Sha Tin appeared to signal that the six-year-old is in good order to return to the track.
“I’m very happy with his trial,” Man told Idol Horse. “He’s ready to race now and he’ll go to [the Chairman’s Sprint Prize] on April 27.”
Lucky Sweynesse returned for his first barrier trial after his injury in December last year before having another down the Sha Tin straight a month later. But, trackwork records show he didn’t gallop for a month and a half following his second hit-out and waited until March 27 to partake in his next barrier trial.
He had the sprinting ranks at his mercy when he became the first horse to win all four of Hong Kong’s Group 1 sprints in the same calendar year in 2023, but Lucky Sweynesse will return to a division with a completely different complexion.
Instead of heading into the last top-level sprint of the 2024-25 campaign as the dominant force, Lucky Sweynesse will line up as a champion of the past and face the almighty task of preventing David Hayes’ superstar, Ka Ying Rising, from sweeping Hong Kong’s speed series.
In Man’s bid to give Lucky Sweynesse the best opportunity of returning to somewhere near his best, the trainer confirmed to Idol Horse that he was trying to acquire the service of James McDonald to take the ride.
Matthew Poon has been in the saddle for Lucky Sweynesse’s past three barrier trials and he also rode the former world’s highest-rated sprinter in his trials after his G1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) win in 2023.
After Lucky Sweynesse pulled his way to the lead and responded to Poon’s urgings to win his latest trial on Tuesday morning, the rider offered hope that the galloper is ready for his return.
“With every trial he has just got better and better and he is definitely ready to race if he pulls up well,” Poon said. “He feels like he is back to himself – like last year.”
Lucky Sweynesse adds an extra layer of intrigue to a Chairman’s Sprint Prize market dominated by Ka Ying Rising.
On Wednesday afternoon, the Hong Kong Jockey Club released the selected runners for the three Group 1 contests at Sha Tin on April 27. In addition to Ka Ying Rising, Lucky Sweynesse may face a four-strong Japanese challenge headlined by last month’s G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) winner, Satono Reve. ∎
