Mr. Stunning repeats in Hong Kong Sprint

HONG KONG – Different trainer, same result.

Mr. Stunning won the Group 1, $2.56 million Hong Kong Sprint in 2017 for trainer John Size, and he won it again Sunday for Size’s former assistant, trainer Frankie Lor, at Sha Tin Racecourse.

It was the first Group 1 for Lor, a Hong Kong national who has carved a solid niche on the local circuit, and a first Hong Kong International Race win for the Mauritius-born jockey Karis Teetan, who had been 0 for 3 in such starts.

It was in fact two Size starters, Hot King Prawn and Ivictory, who battled on the lead and helped pave a path for Mr. Stunning, who stalked the pace and came with a strong and steady run to win by three-quarters of a length. D. B. Pin came between horses to finish second, a fine performance in just his second start of the season, while Beat the Clock, who just needs a little more distance, rallied from the back on the outside and finished third.

Size trained the place and show horses but saw Mr. Stunning leave his barn following the last Hong Kong season, owner Maurice Koo Win Chong electing to move his star sprinter away from the stable of Hong Kong’s leading sprint trainer. But it worked. Lor gave Mr. Stunning a useful two-race run into the Hong Kong Sprint and, while his horse failed to win either race, he improved from the first to the second start and proved spot-on for the big race.

Stalking the pace under jockey Teetan, who got on Mr. Stunning following the barn change, Mr. Stunning loomed at the 300-meter mark and professionally took the measure of the two pacesetters.

“He had a lovely trip through the race and I’m just so happy,” Teetan said. “I just knew when I pressed the button he was going to go.”

Hot King Prawn, heavily favored after winning nine races in 10 Hong Kong starts, had to cross over from an outside draw to lead, though the opening 400 meters went in a mild 23.76 seconds. But Ivictory somewhat surprisingly came outside Hot King Prawn around the turn and af-ter 800 meters in 46.19 those two began backpedaling. Nothing like that was ongoing with Mr. Stunning, who clocked 22.60 for his final, winning 400-meter sectional for a winning time of 1:08.85.

Mr. Stunning, who paid $7.20 to win in the U.S., is a 6-year-old Australian-bred gelding by Exceed and Excel out of the Dayjur mare With Fervour. The dam is out of Fran’s Valentine making her a sister to American turf-route starter With Anticipation.

Pingwu Spark refused to load and was scratched at the gate.

Mr. Stunning? He’s simply a scratch sprinter.