His name is Tiger Prawn and I like to think if he were a person, he'd be one of those unassuming types.... just goes about his business and is pretty much ignored.
A ridgeling (originally from South Africa), he was bumped in his first start when Tri Glory shifted out. It was only a Class 4, Millard didn't know what he had in the horse, but Felix Coetzee steadied him and he showed some toughness.
He won the next start, the next four in fact, but sadly HK fans will remember him as the horse who won the race with Windicator (who was 2nd and who collapsed and died immediately after). As it was a Bulldozer race, it was mentioned here...
He ended his first season pretty well, jumping up from the lower levels of Class 4 to the top of Class 2.
He won his season opener this time around and was entered and won his first-ever Class 1.
Tiger Prawn was entered for the Cathay Pacific International Sprint Trial - Millard must have felt pretty damned good to enter him against the likes of Sacred Kingdom, Ab Champ, Scintillation et al, but he had some swelling and was withdrawn.
Two more races this season and although he was only 5th and then 3rd his rating jumped from 85 to 100.
He's the only horse owned by Robert Chung Wai Shu who I'd imagine is unassuming as well.
Absolute Champion stunned the world when he won the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint. A Cinderella story... he was a mere standby starter and only drew in because of the circumstances surrounding poor Takeover Target.
TT aside, it was a great story... the virtual unknown beating not only the old guard (Silent Witness, Sunny Sing, Billet, Scintillation, etc) home but the internationals (Meisho Bowler, She is Tosho, Benbaun, Desert Lord and Red Oog) as well.
So you never know.
No news about this guy..... if he goes, he'll be the last sentence on the Viva Pataca article, the Bullish Luck piece. An afterthought.
Let's hear it for the underdogs.
