Hong Kong Sprint
Hong Kong Sprint
Group One Betting Guide
Date: | December 12, 2021 |
Location: | Sha Tin Racecourse, Hong Kong |
Distance: | 1200m |
Prize Money: | HK$22,000,000 |
The Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint is one of four Hong Kong International Races, offering a purse of HK$22,000,000 (AU$3.1m). Held in mid-December each year, the 1200m event is one of the world’s highest-rated short-course races and attracts punters from all around the globe. It is now the final leg of the Global Sprint Challenge, which includes high-calibre races from countries such as England, Dubai and Australia.
The Hong Kong Sprint has been won by some genuine champions of the turf. Betting markets for the race are open for most of the year, so sign up with our recommended bookmakers to bet on the next sprinting superstar.
2021 Hong Kong Sprint nominations
2021 Hong Kong Sprint Nominations | ||||
# | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eduardo (AUS) | G | 8 | Joseph Pride |
2 | Much Much Better (AUS) | G | 4 | Gary Moore |
3 | Nature Strip (AUS) | G | 7 | Chris Waller |
4 | Splintex (AUS) | H | 5 | Mark Newnham |
5 | Air De Vales (FR) | M | 5 | Corine Barande-Barbe |
6 | Aethero (HK) | G | 5 | Casper Fownes |
7 | Amazing Star (HK) | G | 7 | Jimmy Ting |
8 | Computer Patch (HK) | G | 5 | Tony Cruz |
9 | Courier Wonder (HK) | G | 4 | John Size |
10 | Duke Wai (HK) | G | 6 | Paul O’Sullivan |
11 | Hot King Prawn (HK) | G | 7 | John Size |
12 | Lucky Patch (HK) | G | 5 | Francis Lui |
13 | Naboo Attack (HK) | G | 5 | David Hayes |
14 | Seattle Choice (HK) | G | 6 | Anthony Millard |
15 | Sky Field (HK) | G | 5 | Casper Fownes |
16 | Stronger (HK) | H | 5 | Douglas Whyte |
17 | Super Wealthy (HK) | G | 6 | David Hayes |
18 | Wellington (HK) | G | 5 | Richard Gibson |
19 | Winning Dreamer (HK) | G | 5 | Frankie Lor |
20 | Wishful Thinker (HK) | G | 5 | Dennis Yip |
21 | A Case Of You (IRE) | C | 3 | Adrian McGuinness |
22 | Curren Moe (JPN) | M | 5 | Takayuki Yasuda |
23 | Danon Smash (HKJPN | H | 6 | Takayuki Yasuda |
24 | Diatonic (JPN) | H | 6 | Takayuki Yasuda |
25 | Mikki Brillante (JPN) | H | 5 | Yoshito Yahagi |
26 | Mozu Superflare (JPN) | M | 6 | Hidetaka Otonashi |
27 | Pixie Knight (JPN) | C | 3 | Hidetaka Otonashi |
28 | Resistencia (JPN) | F | 4 | Takeshi Matsushita |
29 | Shivaji (JPN) | H | 6 | Kenji Nonaka |
30 | Kharisma (SIN) | G | 5 | Stephen Gray |
Previous Hong Kong Sprint fields
2020 Hong Kong Sprint Nominations # Horse Sex Age Trainer 1 Classique Legend (AUS) G 5 Casper Fownes 2 Hot King Prawn (AUS) G 6 John Size 4 Voyage Warrior (AUS) G 5 Ricky Yiu 5 Danon Smash (JPN) H 5 Takayuki Yasuda 7 Wishful Thinker (AUS) G 7 Dennis Yip 8 Computer Patch (AUS) R 4 Tony Cruz 9 Rattan (NZ) G 7 Richard Gibson 10 Big Party (AUS) G 5 Frankie Lor 11 Jolly Banner (AUS) G 9 Ricky Yiu 12 Amazing Star (NZ) G 4 Cliff Brown 13 Fat Turtle (USA) H 4 Frankie Lor 14 Stronger (AUS) H 4 Douglas Whyte No. Horse/Bred Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 1 Beat The Clock J Size Z Purton 3 57 $6.50 2 D B Pin J Size R Moore 13 57 $54 3 Mr Stunning F C Lor H Bowman 2 57 $24 4 Hot King Prawn J Size K Teetan 1 57 $5.20 5 Rattan R Gibson C Schofield 6 57 $48 6Little GiantD J HallJ McDonald757Scractched7 Danon Smash T Yasuda L Dettori 8 57 $28 8 Ivictory J Size A Sanna 11 57 $250 9 Wishful Thinker R Gibson C Soumillom 9 57 $131 10 Seasons Bloom C S Shum G van Niekerk 14 57 $26 11 Full Of Beauty J Size C Y Ho 5 57 $23 12 Regency Legend C S Shum S de Sousa 12 57 $98 13In Her TimeK LeesB Avdulla455.5Scractched14 Aethero J Moore Z Purton 10 53 $1.50 No. Silks Horse/Bred Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 1 Ivictory J Size C Lemaire 6 57 $6.50 2 Mr Stunning F Lor K Teetan 9 57 $3.50 3 D B Pin J Size S Clipperton 2 57 $7.50 4 Beat The Clock J Size R Moore 8 57 $7.50 5 Hot King Prawn J Size J Moreira 11 57 $3 6 Fine Dancer Y Takahashi Y Kawada 12 57 $9 7 Sir Dancealot D Elsworth G Mosse 5 57 $21 8 Winner’s Way T Cruz S de Sousa 1 57 $21 9 Pingwu Spark B Yung K C Leung 10 57 $34 10 Lim’s Cruiser S Gray H Bowman 3 57 $17 11 Born In China F Lui D Whyte 4 57 $51 12 Little Giant D Hall Z Purton 7 57 $17 No. Silks Horse/Bred Trainer Jockey Barrier Weight Odds 1 Mr Stunning J Size N Rawiller 4 57 $3.80 2 Lucky Bubbles K W Lui J Bowman 1 57 $6.50 3 Peniaphobia A S Cruz M Chadwick 9 57 $7 4 TheWizardOfOz J J Size J Moreira 8 57 $7.50 5 Amazing Kids J J Size B Prebble 6 57 $8 6 Not Listenin’ToMe J Moore Tommy Berry 10 57 $8.50 7 Signs Of Blessing Francois Rohaut S Pasquier 5 57 $12 8 The Right Man D Guillemin F X Bertras 13 57 $13 9 Blizzard P Yiu G Mosse 3 57 $26 10 D B Pin J J Size O Doleuze 12 57 $26 11Stormy Liberal P Miller S De Sousa 11 57 $34 12 Lets Go Donki Tomoyuki Umeda Y Iwata 7 55.5 $34 13 Once In A Moon M Saito Z Purton 2 55.5 $34
2020 Hong Kong Sprint Result
Place | Horse | Price |
---|---|---|
1st | Danon Smash | $22.70 |
2nd | Jolly Banner | $14.95 |
3rd | Rattan | $4.25 |


Recent Hong Kong Sprint winners
- Needing a perfect ride from barrier 14, Ryan Moore provided Danon Smash the most elite steer to claim the 2020 HK Sprint. The win handed Ryan Moore back-to-back Group 1 victories on the day and he certainly ernt his pay cheque in doing so. Having drawn the wide barrier, Moore had the Japanese galloper settled midfield with cover and when asked for an effort in the home straight, he looked to be the winner a long way out from home.
- Mr Stunning was looking for a hat trick of wins in the HK Sprint, but it was the John Size trained Beat The Clock who swamped the leader Aethero and Hot King Prawn in a blanket finish to claim the 2019 Hong Kong Sprint. There was only a length seperated the first four and half a length seperating the trifectra and the win in the 2019 HK sprint handed superstar jockey Joao Moreira his fourth win of the day and his second group one.
- Defending champion Mr Stunning was just shaded in the market by the in-form Hot King Prawn, but it was the Stunner who had the last laugh as the post approached. Hot King Prawn led for the majority of the race but never looked comfortable, which was in direct contrast to Mr Stunning. The button was pushed on the winner at the 400m mark and he eventually extended entering the final 100m to successfully defend his crown.
- Mr Stunning came into the 2017 Hong Kong Sprint as a red-hot favourite and the champ justified the short price in style. Settling just off the speed behind Peniaphobia and Once In A Moon, Mr Stunning pulled wide of the pair entering the straight and promptly kicked away. D B Pin looked to have Mr Stunning’s measure entering the final 200m but the gun galloper maintained the strong run to record a gutsy win.
- Age was no barrier for Aerovelocity as the eight-year-old won the 2016 Hong Kong Sprint. It was able to find a nice spot in the run with Zac Purton in the saddle and it held off the fast-finishing Lucky Bubbles which found trouble at the rear of the field. This was Aerovelocity’s second Hong Kong Sprint win after scoring in 2014. Read full report here.
- Peniaphobia was a stylish winner of the Hong Kong Sprint in 2015 when winning at odds of $6. The Tony Cruz-trained runner has ridden by champion jockey Joao Moreira who gave Peniaphobia a great ride from a tricky draw. It was able to cross from the wide draw and with its superior turn of foot, there was no running down the champion.
- Aerovelocity was another all-the-way winner in 2014 when it held off the fast-finishing Peniaphohia which would win the Hong Kong Sprint a year later. The Paul O’Sullivan-trained sprinter was well-found in the market and it continued the good run set by the favoured runners.
Best Hong Kong Sprint bookmakers
All of the bookmakers listed below offer betting on the Hong Kong Sprint and weekly Hong Kong race meetings.
Punters can bet into all Hong Kong markets where fixed odds and futures betting are available.


Sport Table
Hong Kong Sprint facts and figures
Knowing all the facts and figures can make betting on horse racing much easier. Knowing which trainers and jockeys to follow is a great way to make some extra cash.
- Most wins by a trainer: Ricky Yiu (1999, 2007, 2009)
- Most wins by a jockey: Brett Prebble (2006, 2009, 2011)
Four horses have won the Hong Kong Sprint on two occasions. Mr Stunnong, Falvelon, Silent Witness and Lord Kanaloa won consecutive Hong Kong Sprints, with Sacred Kingdom winning in both 2007 and 2009.
The fastest time recorded was 1:07.80 in 2006 by Absolute Champion. The race was changed from 1000m to 1200m in 2006 and the quickest time over the shorter distance is held by All Thrills Too, who ran a slick 56.40 in 2002.
Past Hong Kong Sprint winners list
Year | Horse |
---|---|
2020 | Danon Smash |
2019 | Beat The Clock |
2018 | Mr Stunning |
2017 | Mr Stunning |
2016 | Aerovelocity |
2015 | Peniaphobia |
2014 | Aerovelocity |
2013 | Lord Kanaloa |
2012 | Lord Kanaloa |
2011 | Lucky Nine |
2010 | J J The Jet Plane |
2009 | Sacred Kingdom |
2008 | Inspiration |
2007 | Sacred Kingdom |
2006 | Absolute Champion |
2005 | Natural Blitz |
2004 | Silent Witness |
2003 | Silent Witness |
2002 | All Thrills Too |
2001 | Falvelon |
2000 | Falvelon |
1990 | Fairy King Prawn |