Prepared by Danny Shum, Lucky Year was a rank outsider in the field, but belied that view to score a strong finishing three-quarter length win in the 1200 metre sprint, his eighth win from just 22 starts.
The win gave young South African jockey Callan Murray a dream result, riding at
just his third meeting in Hong Kong."Unbelievable!" Murray exclaimed.
"I can't believe it, how exciting is this? It's crazy. I didn't expect it so soon, but I'm thrilled – what a way to break through at Sha Tin. I've been very fortunate.
"You always hope that you can make an impression quickly, you've got it in the back of your head you want to do well, but I didn't think it could be like this. Hopefully it gives me a bit of momentum going forward.
"Danny told me to have him midfield but they went so slow, they were really dragging it back throughout, so I ended up sitting handier.
"I think he seemed to really travel well, and I knew I had plenty underneath me turning in. I thought he could be around the mark but wow, he really found.
"He came in under the radar, he's an honest horse and I'd been told that on his times, he could match it with any other horse in the race."
Lucky Year showed promise in several Sydney barrier trials back in 2014 under the name Lil Caesar and was subsequently sold out of the Chris Waller stable to Hong Kong and won his first two starts there before gradually rising up the sprinting ranks. (If you wondered , he's the horse that was at the centre of one of racing's biggest scandals, click here to read.)
"This horse just has to get things his own way," Danny Shum said.
"He needs a low weight, he needs a slow or even pace, and even then he needs luck in running. He got all that today. At set weights, he just does a couple of things wrong and he might not be up to some of his rivals."
Shum had suggested earlier in the season that overseas targets could be on
Lucky Year's agenda, but he now believes the five-year-old will remain in Hong
Kong for the time being."We had thought maybe we could take him to the Korea Sprint, I'm hoping to send Circuit Land to the Korea Cup, but I think we'll just keep him in Hong Kong," he said.
"Hopefully he can get into some of the sprint handicaps with a light weight. Maybe we will run him in the (G3) Premier Cup over 1400m next."
Bred by Tasmanian nursery Grenville Stud, who also bred Holy Roman Emperor's multiple Group I winning son Mongolian Khan, Lucky Year is the best of three winners from Sydney winning Naturalism mare Natural Lil, who was covered again by Holy Roman Emperor last year.
Lucky Year is the 66th stakes-winner for Holy Roman Emperor, who returns to Aquis Farm this spring at a fee of $9,900.
