Singapore champion galloper Super Easy lost no admirers at his first overseas race when he finished a brave sixth, three-and-a-half lengths behind the winner Lucky Nine in the Group 2 Jockey Club Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on Sunday.

After beginning well, the Darci Brahma four-year-old was beaten for speed early by three or four other runners before Hong Kong-based French jockey Olivier Doleuze, who was having his first ride aboard the Michael Freedman-trained entire, decided to ease him out in fourth spot, one-off the rails.

Swinging for home, the 12-time Kranji winner loomed up as a huge threat, but right behind him, Hong Kong’s class act Lucky Nine was being popped the question by jockey Brett Prebble, and after a brief tussle with Super Easy, hit the front to forge clear to a relatively easy win.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club reported that last year’s Group 1 Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) winner has certainly sent out a warning to would-be challengers with a classy performance that sets him up for a tilt at a second successive win in the Sprint, which will be sponsored by Longines for the first time, on December 9.

Caspar Fownes’ charge, having his first start since a brave but unfortunate fifth in September’s Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes in Japan, travelled strongly into the stretch and kicked to the lead under hands and heels with 200m to go. And Prebble only had to resort to the whip twice close home to keep at bay the late-closing John Moore-trained runner-up Time After Time (Douglas Whyte).

“It’s always hard when we come back from Japan – the horses tend to lose their coats and go off the boil a little bit,” said Fownes.

“He did the same again this year but he wasn’t as bad as last season. I felt he was just starting to come and today I reckon I had him about 85%, so there’s quite a bit of improvement there for the big day.

“Brett gave him a good run, he was jogging on the corner and I think his condition gave out the last 50m but he was good enough to win it.

“It was a good run by the second horse but in saying that I feel in the next three weeks Lucky Nine’s going to really come on for this run, and he has a great record third-up so I’m looking forward to December 9.

“He was a little bit off in his coat and there’s nothing like a race to bring on a horse’s coat.

“He’s one of the top horses in Hong Kong and I knew even at 85% he was going to be right there today. I said to Brett, under no circumstances should he punish him so he’s going to come on a lot from that.”

Prebble was delighted with the horse, who scored by a head from the slow starting Time After Time in a time of 1m 08.83s with Moore’s Admiration (Neil Callan) a further three quarters of a length away in third.

“He came into the race lovely and gave me a really good feel,” revealed Prebble.

“He just dragged me up to the furlong pole and when I let him down he gave me a nice kick. In the last 50m he was found wanting a bit and he’ll come on from that.

“Caspar hasn’t squeezed him right up with the big one coming up in December so he’s really put his hand up to be the major player for Hong Kong in the Sprint again.”

Hong Kong’s other top-rated sprinter, the Group 1 King’s Stand Stakes hero Little Bridge (Zac Purton) was unable to land a blow as he finished ninth of the 14 runners.