Lucky Baby backed to run rivals ragged
Young sprinter Lucky Baby has been backed down to be the shortest priced overnight favourite on today's quality-laden 10-race programme at Sha Tin.
Lucky Baby, a towering individual by the little-known Marscay stallion Rocket To Mars, is unbeaten in four starts - all up the straight 1,000m course at headquarters.
However, the bay hit the line so strongly last time that trainer Danny Shum Chap-shing had little hesitation in pitting him against an extra 200m in the Tai O Handicap.
Lucky Baby won three from three last season and then resumed from his summer break with a thoroughly impressive win in the Crystal Handicap on October 29.
As he had done in all previous starts, Lucky Baby got straight into racing mode and set out at a fast gallop. He showed the hallmark of a top horse, being able to accelerate off a fast pace, and put his rivals to the sword quickly at the 250m before posting a margin of 23/4 lengths over Kingifly.
The time of 56.7 seconds was fair without being startling, given the quick conditions, but analysts have learned to be wary about the way they treat times on this straight track, especially when there is only one on a programme.
The spread of margins is a better guide to the quality of this race. Lucky Baby spread his 13 rivals out over 23.5 lengths and such was his dominance that even the midfield finishers were eight lengths off the winner.
On last night's 6pm tote call, Lucky Baby was a $17 favourite to land win number five at the fifth time of asking for trainer Shum and jockey Eric Saint-Martin.
This is the same pairing that aspires to take out the Group Two Cathay Pacific Sprint Trial with Scintillation (race six).
Scintillation, a son of the late, great Danehill, was a liberal $58 last night, with Down Town a surprise early favourite in a wide-open race at $48.
