Sprint Cup Win for Mr Stunning in Hong Kong

Mr Stunning (Exceed and Excel), a $250,000 purchase at the 2014 Premier Sale, stepped up to the big time in Hong Kong with a stylish win in Sunday’s HK$4 million Listed Sprint Cup (1200m) at Sha Tin.

The winner of six of his nine starts at lower levels, the four-year-old gelding made his stakes debut in the Sprint Cup and had no trouble coping with the rise in class.

Ridden by champion jockey Joao Moreira, Mr Stunning settled towards the rear of the nine-horse field before saving ground with an inside run around the home turn. He accelerated impressively in the last 300 metres, claiming the lead halfway down the home straight and racing to victory by half a length.

The 1200 metres were run in a slick 1:08.46, with Mr Stunning clocking an impressive 21.90 for his last 400 metres.

“I’m very proud of this horse, I always thought he had the ability to get to Group level but I didn’t think it would happen so quickly,” Moreira said. “And I think that he’s only going to get better next season too, so what he’s doing now is a bonus.”

Mr Stunning has now won seven of his 10 starts and more than HK$8.8 million in stakes for his owner, Maurice Koo Win Chong. He is trained by John Size, who will now aim him at next month’s Group 1 Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m).

Mr Stunning was offered at the 2014 Premier Sale by Lyndhurst Farm, and he sold to Magus Equine for $250,000.

Sunday’s win adds to an impressive recent record for Karaka graduates in Hong Kong’s sprint features, headed by the two-time Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) winner Aerovelocity (NZ) (Pins).