Hong Kong representatives Victor The Winner and Mugen will return from Japan to target the HK$26 million G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) on 8 December at Sha Tin after the pair were unplaced in today’s (29 September) G1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) at Nakayama.
Beaten for speed early after breaking from a tricky barrier 14, Victor The Winner and jockey Joao Moreira positioned fourth in running as Puro Magic burst to the front, stringing the field out and holding a near-four length advantage at the top of the home straight. Puro Magic covered the opening 600m of the race in 32.1s.
Rated a 43/1 chance in Hong Kong, Lugal won for jockey Atsuya Nishimura and trainer Haruki Sugiyama. The Duramente colt was 10th in a rain affected G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1200m) last March.
“I’m so happy, I’m so thrilled to be able to win a Group 1 race for the first time. I’m happy for Lugal as well because it’s his first Group 1 win as well. I don’t remember anything in the straight,” Nishimura said.
The winning time of the race was 1m 07s, the fastest run edition since Lord Kanaloa in 2012 (1m 06.70s). Toshin Macau finished second by a neck under Akira Sugawara for trainer Mizuki Takayanagi, while Namura Clair flashed into yet another Group 1 placing for jockey Takeshi Yokoyama and trainer Kodai Hasegawa.
Sugiyama mentioned post-race that he is open to campaigning Lugal overseas.
Trainer of Victor The Winner, Danny Shum, said: “I thought he ran a reasonable race, not a sensational race. It was a really fast pace and Joao Moreira kept him in fourth spot, where he had every chance.
“He’s not really used to the fast pace, but he didn’t give up – he kept trying. The JRA (Japan Racing Association) have told me the owner gets 680,000 Hong Kong dollars for finishing sixth.”