'I wouldn't say Electronic Unicorn is better because Fairy King Prawn is one of the best, but he's on a par'

Redemption. Revenge. Call it what you will, but victory aboard Electronic Unicorn in the Hong Kong Mile would be sweet indeed for Robbie Fradd. A year ago, the South African sat atop Hong Kong's best chance at the International meeting and was beaten in agonising, anguished and ultimately angry circumstances.

Fairy King Prawn's short-head defeat at the hands of Sunline sent out shockwaves for months, from Greg Childs' record fine for discussing tactics ahead of Sunline's win to Fradd's sacking from Fairy King Prawn more than three months later after another big-race defeat in Dubai.

At the time, it was impossible to imagine how Fradd could ever find a horse as good as Fairy King Prawn. But now, 12 months later and with the dual Horse of the Year sidelined by injury, the wheel of fortune has spun round to leave Fradd in the hotseat again with virtually all of Hong Kong's hopes riding with him in the Mile. And the similarities do not end there, for Electronic Unicorn has the same electric turn of foot as Fairy King Prawn, the same ability to fire up the crowd as he launches his challenge, the same fragility and, as of his last-start win, the same official rating.

Fradd can see the comparisons. 'I wouldn't say Electronic Unicorn is better because Fairy King Prawn is one of the best milers in the world, but he's definitely on a par with him,' he says. 'Put it this way - if you put them both in a race Electronic Unicorn would give him a good go and there wouldn't be much between them. One difference is that Electronic Unicorn switches off a lot better than Fairy King Prawn. If you kick Fairy King Prawn out of the gates he can want to go, then as you drop him in he switches off. Electronic Unicorn jumps and then automatically switches off until you say, 'Come on, let's go'. When you bring him out, he just quickens immediately.'

Last year's defeat still rankles with the former champion, who was left out of his ground as Sunline set a false pace before holding off his dramatic stretch-long surge on Fairy King Prawn by a short-head. But he is adamant that his hold-up tactics, which eventually led to his sacking by Ivan Allan after Jim And Tonic had rallied to snatch the Dubai Duty Free from his grasp, were the only option.

'I remember last year's Mile as if it was yesterday,' Fradd says. 'I still say if Sunline hadn't got that soft lead, I would have beaten her. They took her on in Dubai and I beat her there. If they'd done that here, I would maybe have beat her a head instead of losing by a short-head.