While attention was focused on HELIOS EXPRESS winning the Hong Kong Classic Mile for John Size and Hugh Bowman on Sunday at Sha Tin, news broke mid-meeting that champion jockey Zac Purton had lost the ride on the champion sprinter LUCKY SWEYNESSE in next month’s Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m).
Purton had ridden LUCKY SWEYNESSE 17 times, resulting in 11 wins, including three at the Group One level. However, after finishing sixth in the recent Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), after which LUCKY SWEYNESSE was found to be lame in its right front leg, it seems the connections are eager for a change in luck.
They can't catch Victor The Winner! 😳
Danny Shum's charge takes the Centenary Sprint Cup from the front in a shock result at odds of 37/1 under Derek Leung… 🔥🔥🔥#SpeedSeries | #HKracing pic.twitter.com/7W3QFO328a
— HKJC Racing (@HKJC_Racing) January 28, 2024
Reports suggest that trainer Manfred Man has approached James McDonald to ride LUCKY SWEYNESSE in next month’s Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m). McDonald is no stranger to LUCKY SWEYNESSE, having ridden him to victory in last year’s Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup after Purton sided with CALIFORNIA SPANGLE.
On paper, it seems a tad harsh on Purton if he has indeed been replaced based on LUCKY SWEYNESSE’s last-start “failure.”
The horse struggled to keep up in the early stages of the Centenary Sprint Cup, settling back in a slow-run race where the early sectionals were slower than Class 5 standard. Nevertheless, LUCKY SWEYNESSE finished strongly, being the only horse to run sub-22 seconds for the final 400m, with his final 200m being the fastest of the entire meeting.
Put frankly, LUCKY SWEYNESSE was never a serious winning chance from his position in running given how the race was run. It’s unlucky for Purton, but that’s racing, as they say, and it presents McDonald with a seriously good opportunity for more Group One success in Hong Kong should he opt for LUCKY SWEYNESSE over Stewards’ Cup winner VOYAGE BUBBLE.
