HK FEB 17 - LUCKY NINE TOO STRONG FOR FREDERICK ENGELS IN CHAIRMAN'S SPRINT PRIZE

By Hong Kong Jockey Club | Sunday, February 17, 2013

Lucky Nine showed the young pretender a clean pair of heels in the HKG1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m) at Sha Tin Racecourse today as he swept to a convincing victory over a strong field of speedsters that included race favourite and emerging star four-year-old, Frederick Engels.

Caspar Fownes’ charge returned to the form that had taken him to victory in the 2011 G1 Hong Kong Sprint as he notched a fourth top-level triumph on home turf to land the second leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series.

“It’s a race I’ve been wanting to win for a while,” said the trainer. “The horse has been a great horse for the stable and he deserves this win.”

Lucky Nine, whose previous win this term came in the G2 Jockey Club Sprint in November, failed to fire over the straight 1000m in last month’s HKG1 Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup, the first leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series and a race in which the John Moore-trained Frederick Engels was a fast-finishing second.

Today was a different story though as Brett Prebble settled the six-year-old in sixth on the outside of the nine-runner field, behind last year’s victor Joy And Fun and one spot in front of the Weichong Marwing-ridden Frederick Engels.

With the Sha Tin straight laid out before him, Prebble got first run on his main rival with a surging stretch drive that saw Lucky Nine quicken brilliantly at the 300m point, sweep aside the front-runners to lead at the 200m and power through the wire.

Frederick Engels closed out strongly, his final 400m sectional of 21.95s being the quickest of all and seven hundredths faster than the winner, but try as he may, the four-year-old was unable to get on terms with Lucky Nine who scored by three quarters of a length in a time of 1m 09.28s. The reliable Captain Sweet was the same distance back in third.

“He’s jumped quite cleanly and I was going to take a more forward position than we did but he got a bit of interference early,” said Prebble.

“I had to take a pull back and I let him just enjoy his race. We didn’t go that fast, so once I picked up my bridle and they started to sprint home, I really put the foot down before the 250m because I knew his stamina would kick in, more so than Frederick Engels, who’s got a very sharp turn-of-foot.

“I didn’t want him getting upsides me and then have an explosive last furlong, so I’ve dragged him out a bit and it worked in my favour!”

Fownes has entered the horse for the G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m) at the end of March, a race in which he ran a brave third from a bad gate last year, but the trainer may opt to aim him at the third and final leg of the Hong Kong Speed Series, the HKG1 Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup over 1400m at Sha Tin on Sunday, 17 March.

“I’ll see how he comes out of this and the horse will tell me,” said Fownes.

“I’ll talk to Doc (Owner Dr. Chang Fuk To) during the week and if we go for Dubai then we won’t go for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup, that’s for sure, but if we want to go for the 1400m we’ll stay here.

“We know that the straight 1000m (that he raced over last time) is a specialists’ track. He handles it but he’s obviously a lot better around the turn and the six furlongs is a little bit sharp for him, but I’ve been sprinting him well and his ideal distance will probably be his next start if I decide to run him in the 1400m.”

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