Jockey Derek Leung Ka-chun bemoaned an unsuitable trip and fast pace after Lucky Sweynesse’s disappointing 11th in Sunday’s Group One Sprinters Stakes (1,200m) at Nakayama Racecourse.
In his international debut, Manfred Man Ka-leung’s four-time Group One winner settled behind midfield from barrier 10 and was under pressure throughout in a race dominated by on-pace runners.
Sent off a $7.3 chance with parochial Hong Kong punters but $36.6 in Japan, Lucky Sweynesse was well beaten behind Win Carnelian, who caused a massive upset at $93.75 in the Hong Kong market.
“Our horse didn’t jump bad and I went to go forward into fourth position, but the other horse [to his outside] kept squeezing him so he had to come back a bit,” Leung said.
“All the way, the outside horse put pressure on him and for a big horse, the race never went smooth.
“At the 500m my horse was struggling because the tempo is quite different compared to Hong Kong. It was quick. I think they just kept going and then at the 500m and turning, they sped up again.
“My horse, first time here, he didn’t really get used to it and then he was always tight and getting squeezed, so it was never enjoyable.”
Lucky Sweynesse was under heavy pressure just before the turn and dropped back to near last before making some ground late in the race.
“The draw was a little bit wide, which is important, and I think the pace was very fast,” Man said, pointing to the winning time of 1:06.9 – just 0.02 seconds outside Lord Kanaloa’s track record from his 2012 Sprinters Stakes victory. “So for him, it was a little bit difficult.”
Struck down by a fractured cannon bone last year, Lucky Sweynesse showed a return to somewhere near his best form with a strong second to the world’s best sprinter, Ka Ying Rising, in the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m) at Sha Tin before making the trip to Japan.
Man said he would wait to see how the seven-year-old progresses after returning to Hong Kong before deciding whether he tackles feature sprints such as November’s Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m) and December’s Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) – both of which he won in 2023.
Hong Kong Sprint and Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) placegetter Satono Reve could only manage fourth as the popular $2.2 favourite under Brazilian star Joao Moreira on Sunday.
Win Carnelian stalked the pacesetter June Blair in running and they drew clear in the straight, with the former edging the latter by a head in a thrilling finish. Namura Clair was a distant third.
Only the second eight-year-old to win the Sprinters Stakes, Win Carnelian’s success was a popular one with many of the 33,918 fans on course chanting “Miura! Miura!” after jockey Kosei Miura celebrated his first Group One triumph.
“It took a long time – it really felt long,” said Miura, who broke through after 18 years as a Japan Racing Association rider and 126 unsuccessful rides at the elite level.
“There were times when I thought a Group One title was not meant for me, but I never gave up because there were many owners, connections, fans rooting for me, and this is truly a great feeling.”
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