Highfield Princess will bid to become the first British winner of the Group One Longines Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) when the superstar mare locks horns with Lucky Sweynesse in the six-furlong dash on December 10.

Beaten off a rating of 57 three summers ago, Highfield Princess’ remarkable rise to stardom could become yet more extraordinary as she attempts to fend off a host of elite speedsters and scoop the HK$26 million contest.

The daughter of Night Of Thunder snared an unprecedented treble of international Group One wins last season, landing the Prix Maurice de Gheest (1,300m), Nunthorpe Stakes (1,000m) and the Flying Five Stakes (1,000m) in just five weeks.

Winless in her first three starts this campaign, including when placing twice in top-level contests at Royal Ascot, Highfield Princess belatedly opened her account for the season in August’s Group Two King George Stakes (1,000m) at Goodwood.

Following a runner-up effort in the Nunthorpe at York, the six-year-old produced a below-par performance to finish fifth in September’s Flying Five before defying a wide draw to win last month’s Group One Prix de l’Abbaye (1,000m).

Battling on in typically gutsy fashion to catch front runner Perdika close home, Highfield Princess once again cemented herself at the summit of Europe’s sprinting division.

Standing between Highfield Princess and Hong Kong Sprint glory are 10 opponents, including the world’s top-rated speedster, Lucky Sweynesse, who chases history of his own.

After bouncing back to form with victory in last Sunday’s Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m), Lucky Sweynesse can become the only horse to win Hong Kong’s four Group One sprints in the same calendar year with a triumph on December 10.

After the Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained gelding was a luckless sixth behind Wellington in last year’s Hong Kong Sprint, Zac Purton will be hoping for a change of fortune as the galloper looks to seal another top-flight victory.

Wellington, who failed to land a blow when finishing 10th – four lengths behind third-placed Highfield Princess – in the Group One Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee Stakes (1,200m) in June, will aim to build on his first-up third behind Lucky Sweynesse as he attempts to retain his crown.

Aidan O’Brien is no stranger to tasting success at the Hong Kong International Races, and the master trainer will saddle his first runner in the Hong Kong Sprint when Aesop’s Fables makes the journey to Sha Tin.

Most recently seen flashing home to grab third in the Group One Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (1,000m) early this month, Aesop’s Fables is the sole three-year-old in the field, while Mad Cool and Jasper Krone are the Japanese representatives.