Season’s Bloom, making his second start at the Group 1 level, beat Group 1-debuting Fifty Fifty by a half-length to win the Group 1, $1,279,300 Chairman’s Cup on Sunday at Sha Tin Racecourse in Hong Kong. Season’s Bloom had been well supported in his own Group 1 debut, the Hong Kong Mile on Dec. 10, and had finished an encouraging fourth despite scoping with blood in his airway following the race. Trainer Danny Shum freshened Season’s Bloom for the Chairman’s Cup and jockey Joao Moreira delivered a textbook ride, saving ground around the 1600-meter race’s one turn, coming out for a clear run three or four paths off the fence in the long homestretch, and mowing down front-runners Giant Treasure, Beauty Generation, and Werther for his first win at the highest level. “He jumped very well today, better than before, and that allowed him to race closer than he has been in the past,” Moreira told Hong Kong Jockey Club publicity. “When I obtained a clear run in the straight I was full of confidence that he was going to go past those horses in front of him.” Fifty Fifty didn’t have quite as good a trip as the winner, having to wait briefly for room after being caught inside and behind horses at the top of the homestretch. Just behind Fifty Fifty came Werther, who made an early move to get up close to the pace while racing wide, and turned in an encouraging performance at a distance 400 meters short of his best. Southern Legend, a huge longshot, finished fourth while rallying from 13th at the top of the stretch and finishing alongside fifth-place Beauty Only. Southern Legend’s final 400 meters in 22.59 was the fastest closing split in the race, though the Chairman’s Cup’s winning time of 1:34.74 was slower than the 1:33.95 par time for 1600-meter Group races at Sha Tin. Season’s Bloom was second choice just behind narrowly favored Time Warp, who hopped at the start, failed to get the forward position he prefers, was rank in the early stages, and finished 10th. Also somewhat disappointing was Beauty Generation, who won the Hong Kong Mile but checked in seventh Sunday with no apparent excuse. Season’s Bloom now is a five-time winner partway through his second season of Hong Kong racing. The 5-year-old Australian-bred gelding is by Captain Sonador out of Pyramisa’s Lass, by Not a Single Doubt. D B Pin on top in sprint        D B Pin unleashed a furious final 400 meters to nail favored Mr Stunning and lead a top-three sweep for trainer John Size in the Group 1, $1,279,300 Centenary Sprint Cup, co-featured on the Sunday card. Mr Stunning had developed into Hong Kong’s top sprinter this season, but had to work a little harder than expected to beat D B Pin in the Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint on Dec. 10, and on Sunday he could not contain his improved stablemate. Mr Stunning stalked Peniaphobia’s pace from fourth, came around that rival, Blizzard, and Notlistenin’tome to take the lead with 200 meters to run, and as Mr Stunning moved to the front, D B Pin was briefly caught flat-footed at the top of the stretch. With 400 meters left he appeared to be too far behind to win, but a final 400 meters in 21.79 seconds took care of that. D. B. Pin reached Mr Stunning’s flank with 50 meters left and quickly moved away to win by a neck. A third Size-trained horse, Beat the Clock, made a run inside Mr Stunning and was going the better of the two at the finish, but Mr Stunning got his head down to salvage a dead heat for second. “When I came into the straight, I thought I could run a place but I didn’t think I could win. In the last 200 meters, though, he found another gear,” winning jockey Olivier Doleuze said. D B Pin was making just his second start at the Group 1 level, and he ended Mr Stunning’s winning streak at three. “You couldn’t criticize Mr Stunning,” Size said. “He’s won three top sprints in Hong Kong in a row and it’s very difficult to do that. Usually they just take it in turns.” The Centenary Sprint was slower than standard for 1200 meter Sha Tin Group races early before a faster-than-par finish. Final time over good ground was 1:09.64, considerably slower than the 1:08.50 standard for the Group level. Still, Size and Doleuze have been impressed enough with D B Pin for the 5-year-old gelding’s connections to contemplate a trip to Dubai for the $2 million Golden Shaheen at 1200 meters on dirt. D B Pin ran well winning a Class 2 handicap over the Sha Tin dirt track last season. Bred in New Zealand, D B Pin is by Darci Brahma and out of Pins ‘N’ Needles, by Pins.