Trainer John Size believes some cut in the ground will boost the chances of defending champion Red Lion in the HK$24 million G1 FWD Champions Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, 26 April.

The mercurial galloper has endured a frustrating 2025/26 campaign and is without a win since claiming the 2024/25 edition of the FWD Champions Day contest 12 months ago.

Red Lion sprang a shock at Sha Tin when, under an expert ride from Hugh Bowman, the Belardo gelding prevailed by a short head at 89/1 over the odds-on favourite Voyage Bubble, who was seeking a fourth straight Group 1 success that afternoon.

The seven-year-old produced a sharp effort in a 1200m Sha Tin barrier trial on Thursday morning (16 April), when he raced at the front of the field and reacted smartly at the 200-metre mark when asked for some effort by Andrea Atzeni to finish a nose behind Little Paradise, who clocked 1m 10.96s.

“Actually, he’s been trialling very well recently – I suppose he always does,” said Size of the six-time Hong Kong winner, who has only made the frame on one occasion from six runs this term. “But on raceday, he seems to be giving up pretty early in the race. He hasn’t been fighting out the finish. But we’ll try again. He’s been drawn on the inside recently, and maybe hasn’t enjoyed that.”

Red Lion’s best performance of this season came during his most demanding assignment, when he finished a rallying third under Bowman in the G1 LONGINES Hong Kong Mile (1600m) in December last year.

He will reoppose five of his rivals from that day in Sunday week’s engagement – Docklands, My Wish, Galaxy Patch, Sunlight Power and Copartner Prance – as well as 2024/25 Triple Crown champion Voyage Bubble in what will be a searching defence of his crown.

Size, a 13-time Hong Kong Champion Trainer, believes that showers, forecast throughout the week leading up to FWD Champions Day, could aid the cause of Red Lion, who has strong form in softer conditions, having won twice and placed three times from six career runs on wet surfaces.

“That would make a big difference to him,” Size said. “Maybe tomorrow we might start to get a bit of a shower here and there and that will certainly help.”

Zac Purton was pleased with the barrier trial effort of his mount, Little Paradise, who he rides in the FWD Champions Mile. The four-year-old, an impressive winner of the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) in February, gets his first taste of the elite grade at the spring showpiece, and the champion jockey believes the Jimmy Ting-trained gelding faces a difficult task.

“I like how well he began. He’s not the best in the gates; he gets a little bit nervous in there, but it was good to see him begin well,” Purton said. “When his head was in front, he just wanted to give a little bit more, which is a good sign.

“It’s very hard for four-year-olds,” he added. “It will just be good to see how he’s going to measure up against the older horses at a mile. But he’s an exciting horse for sure.”

Photo: HKJC