Lucky Sweynesse eyes Yasuda Kinen return after Champions Mile test

Lucky Sweynesse’s next chapter will be written at Sha Tin, and the result of Sunday’s HK$24 million G1 FWD Champions Mile will decide whether that story extends to Tokyo Racecourse and the Yasuda Kinen on June 7.

The seven-year-old gelding has turned himself into a genuine miler this season after spending most of his career at 1,200m and 1,400m. Trained by Manfred Man and ridden by Derek Leung, Lucky Sweynesse won the G2 Chairman’s Trophy over 1,600m on April 6 and finished second in the G1 Stewards’ Cup in January, his first start at the mile. That form has revived international ambitions for a horse whose reputation was built as one of Hong Kong’s most dangerous sprinters.

The transformation has been all the more striking after a long layoff. Lucky Sweynesse was sidelined for more than a year by a left fore fetlock injury following his 2024 G2 Sprint Cup win, then came back to finish sixth in the 2025 Chairman’s Sprint Prize and fourth in the Sha Tin Vase before stretching out successfully. Through 33 starts he has compiled 17 wins, six seconds and two thirds, with total earnings of more than HK$80 million.

Barrier four gives him a workable position in the Champions Mile, but the race will be a deep test. Jantar Mantar, the 2025 Yasuda Kinen winner, is among the key threats, alongside international names such as Docklands and last year’s Champions Mile winner Red Lion. The Hong Kong Jockey Club has described Lucky Sweynesse as one of the city’s most beloved horses, and his connections have made clear they are proud simply to have him on Champions Day. What happens next, though, will be measured in more than sentiment.

A strong run would make a return to Japan look logical rather than ambitious. The Yasuda Kinen carries a winner’s purse of JPY180,000,000 and has welcomed just over 50 foreign-trained horses since becoming international in 1993, with Hong Kong success stories including Fairy King Prawn, Bullish Luck and Romantic Warrior. Cheng Ming Leung has spoken of the family’s Japan dream, shaped in part by Armada’s second in the 2008 Yasuda Kinen, and Lucky Sweynesse now has the form to chase it again. If the Champions Mile confirms he can stay elite at 1,600m, Hong Kong’s sprint star will head toward Tokyo with purpose.