With three Group Ones already to his name, Lucky Nine is the most highly achieved sprinter currently in action and the Caspar Fownes-trained galloper has finally drawn the outside when it can help him in today's Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup (1,000m).The six-year-old has frequently suffered wide draws in circle races and his record might otherwise read even better than it does, but racing up the Sha Tin straight it is almost invariably better to draw wider at the start.So with gate nine

With three Group Ones already to his name, Lucky Nine is the most highly achieved sprinter currently in action and the Caspar Fownes-trained galloper has finally drawn the outside when it can help him in today's Kent & Curwen Centenary Sprint Cup (1,000m).

The six-year-old has frequently suffered wide draws in circle races and his record might otherwise read even better than it does, but racing up the Sha Tin straight it is almost invariably better to draw wider at the start.

So with gate nine for Lucky Nine (Brett Prebble) is in the right place to follow the pace nearer the outside rail and prove too strong over the final stages of the race.

And aiding his cause is that Lucky Nine has Amber Sky (Matthew Chadwick) drawn immediately to his outside, and Prebble should be able to get straight in behind the likely leader and perhaps his main dangers in the race.

Lucky Nine so often draws wide in the circle races and has to be taken back early that it is easy to forget that he is actually quite a fast horse himself when he does draw well and that should help him stay in touch with the speed.

He was a winner over a straight course in Ireland but has only been tried at the straight since coming to Hong Kong, and was unlucky in this same race in 2012 as the second favourite.

On that occasion, jockey Tye Angland followed the favourite Little Bridge but was in trouble when that horse simply failed, dropping back into Lucky Nine's lap at the point where the sprint went into the event. The race was away and gone before Lucky Nine got clear enough to make any ground at all, and he was beaten just over a length.

That was enough evidence Lucky Nine can translate his circle track form to the straight course, and his circle track form is the best form in this race today.

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