Zac Purton believes Lucky Sweynesse is poised to improve significantly in the G2 Premier Bowl Handicap (1200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (22 October), but is wary of race tactics which might again favour Victor The Winner in the HK$5.35 million feature.
Danny Shum’s Victor The Winner (115lb) condemned Lucky Sweynesse (135lb) to only the fifth defeat of the champion sprinter’s glittering career in the Class 1 HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup Handicap (1200m) on 10 September.
Although there is a narrowing of the weight differential this weekend – Lucky Sweynesse again shoulders 135lb under Purton, while Victor The Winner carries 118lb for Karis Teetan – Purton respects Victor The Winner’s ability to control the pace before reeling off slick closing sectionals.
“Well, we meet him (Victor The Winner) slightly better at the weights, but it’s a smaller field (this time),” Purton said. “He (Victor The Winner) is not going to have any pressure, so if he runs home in 21.40 (seconds) again, he’s going to be hard to catch.
“I thought Lucky Sweynesse ran really well (last start). He couldn’t have done any more than what he did. He was on a (yielding) track that doesn’t really suit him, he was first-up for the season, he had to give a lot of weight away and, at the end of the day, the winner ran home in 21.40 seconds.
“It’s very hard to give any horse a start and think you’re going to catch them under those circumstances.
“He (Lucky Sweynesse) is certainly getting better, his action is becoming more fluent, he’s handling his work a little bit better. He’s not at his best yet, he’s going to work his way towards that, he just needs racing like a lot of these horses and he’s quite a strong horse, so when he gets to step out on race day and gets the competition into him, he’s going to continue to improve.”