Lucky Sweynesse became the first speedster to win all four of the city’s Group One dashes in the same calendar year with a commanding victory in Sunday’s Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) at Sha Tin.

The Longines Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) meeting’s shortest feature was the only top-level dash missing from Lucky Sweynesse’s illustrious CV. However, the five-year-old galloper convincingly completed the set.

Sent off at $1.35 to make amends for last year’s luckless Hong Kong Sprint sixth behind Wellington, Zac Purton ensured he was not going to face traffic problems in consecutive editions and urged Lucky Sweynesse to settle on the coattails of the leaders.

Tracking James McDonald on Victor The Winner, Purton switched off the fence before producing Lucky Sweynesse to hit the Hong Kong Sprint lead 100m from home. Staying on to the line, the Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained superstar finished three-quarters of a length ahead of fast-finishing $37 outsider Lucky With You.

“He deserved that,” Purton said. “He’s been our best sprinter, and he was able to atone for last year.

“I went for the run inside James when I could, but he couldn’t pick up at the time. James then accelerated and came across me, which allowed me to get out. Once he was out in the straight, he did what we know he can do.”

Beaten on his first two appearances this season, Lucky Sweynesse dispelled doubts he was past his best when narrowly prevailing in last month’s Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m).

Pitched into the Hong Kong Sprint’s international field of 10, Lucky Sweynesse cemented himself as the city’s top sprinter by scooping the HK$26 million contest in the event’s slowest-ever winning time of 1:09.25.

“I could feel in the mornings his trackwork had improved, and his action was getting a little bit better,” Purton said. “His all-round demeanour in the morning was getting back to where it was last season. I could see he was blossoming at the right time.”

“He’s a very good horse, I love him,” Purton said. “He almost pulled himself up inside the last 50m, so he looked after himself as well.”

Lucky Sweynesse has been flying the flag for the Man stable since bursting onto the scene in February 2022, and the 66-year-old trainer admitted the victory did not make for easy viewing.

“He kept to the inside fence to save ground, but in the last 200m, I had a little bit of a heart attack,” Man said. “It’s still too early to say where next. The target is the Speed Series, but I need a bit of time to decide.”

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Returning Hong Kong Sprint champion Wellington could only manage third in his attempt for back-to-back triumphs, while Lucky With You produced the best effort of his effort to flash home in second under Andrea Atzeni.

“He ran a blinder,” Atzeni said. “He’s a very straightforward horse, and we managed to get a good pitch. It was a very good run behind a champion racehorse.”

Lucky Sweynesse’s Hong Kong Sprint win was the 15th victory of his 21-start career and Purton’s record-extending 11th HKIR success.