Another Big Sprint Win For Mr Stunning

Mr Stunning (Exceed and Excel) added to his burgeoning reputation among Hong Kong sprinters when he scored his eighth win from 14 career starts in Sunday’s HK$4 million Premier Bowl (1200m) at Sha Tin.

Bought for $250,000 at the 2014 Premier Sale at Karaka, the gelding rose to prominence with four wins in the 2016-17 season including the Sprint Cup and a second placing in the Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize.

Making his second start in a new campaign, Mr Stunning went back in the field in Sunday’s feature before charging into contention in the straight with an explosive turn of foot. He renewed his rivalry with his Chairman’s Sprint Prize conqueror Lucky Bubbles (Sebring), this time beating that rival by half a length in a quick time of 1:08.10.

“I couldn’t have been more confident going into a nice race,” jockey Nash Rawiller said. “A lot could go wrong, he had a big weight, but I felt I was on something that was going to be damn tough to beat.

“He’s an exceptional horse. This was the first time I’d been lucky enough to ride him in a race, but he put me in a beautiful spot and travelled sweetly. It was an amazing turn of foot, especially with that weight.”

Trained by John Size, Mr Stunning has now had 14 starts for eight wins, three placings and prize-money of HK$14.2 million – around 10 times his purchase price.