Time drought was over

Aussie finally in the Hong Kong Sprint hunt

IN Her Time’s chances of ending Australia’s Longines Hong Kong Sprint drought have been boosted by a favourable draw.

The dual Group 1 winner landed in gate four as boom local Aethero (10) and dual runner-up D B Pin (13) were handed tricky alleys for the 1200m dash.

Bidding to become the first winner of the glamour sprint since Falvelon 2000-1 triumphs — when the race was not a Group 1 — In Her Time has thrived since arriving at

Sha Tin.

And gate four provides the mare with the chance to lurk just behind the speed, just as she did before claiming the Group 1 Lightning Stakes (1000m) at Flemington in February. In Her Time will be ridden by Brenton Avdulla.

Mackinnon Stakes winner Magic Wand drew perfectly in barrier two for Ryan Moore and Aidan O’Brien as the globe-trotting mare chases

Hong Kong Cup (2000m) glory.

Geelong Cup winner and Melbourne Cup runner-up Prince Of Arran will jump from gate eight in the Hong Kong Vase (2400m), while last year’s winner Exultant has drawn the outside in a field of 14.

Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner True Self starts from barrier six while Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck begins from gate 12. Star Australian jockey Zac Purton has an impressive hand in the four Group 1 races with Exultant (Vase), Aethero (Sprint), Beauty Generation (Mile) and Glorious Forever (Cup).

Should any of the four salute, Purton will become the most successful jockey in the 33-year history of the international meeting. Purton is tied on eight wins with Frenchman Gerald Mosse. Purton trails rival Joao Moreira 35-42 in this season’s premiership race as the Aussie pushes for a fourth

Hong Kong title. Karis Teetan, winner of Wednesday’s international jockeys’ challenge at Happy Valley, is third on 21.

Aethero worked solo down the turf track’s straight at Sha Tin yesterday in a manner which left trainer John Moore satisfied that Hong Kong’s rising sprint star could well make history this weekend.

“He went without a work mate because he’s a very fit horse, ready to go into Sunday’s big one,” Moore said.