Fairy King Prawn was withdrawn from the $10 million Hong Kong Sprint yesterday after trainer Ivan Allan lost his battle to have the champion fit enough to take on the world's best on Sunday week.
Allan said the seven-year-old was only 80 per cent fit but maintained he would be racing against local opposition 'in the near future'. His place in the Sprint has gone to rising star Anabatik.
'Fairy King Prawn is sound and in full work and his leg problem is under control,' Allan said. 'However, I feel he is only about 80 per cent fit and it will not be fair to ask him to compete against an international field of sprinters.
'Also, Fairy King Prawn has many local fans who will support him regardless and I do not want to disappoint them. In view of this, his owner Mr Philip Lau [Sak-hong] and I have decided to withdraw Fairy King Prawn from racing in the Hong Kong Sprint.
'However, I will be racing Fairy King Prawn in the near future when he is fully fit and competing against local rather than international opposition.'
Allan said the requirement to barrier trial Fairy King Prawn 16 days ago may not have aided the cause of the gelding, who has not run since winning the National Day Cup at Sha Tin in October, 2001, and underwent surgery on a damaged suspensory ligament early this year.
