The Lord Mayor’s Cup at Rosehill is not quite as prestigious as the Champion’s Mile at Sha Tin but trainer David Payne hopes Laser Flash can give owner Markus Jooste another feature win.
The South African businessman celebrated the landmark victory by Variety Club in Hong Kong on Sunday when the horse became the first foreigner to take out the Group One race.
Jooste spreads his racing interests beyond his homeland and Payne, an ex-pat South African, trained dual Group Two winning sprinter Hurried Choice for him and has a More Than Ready yearling colt out of Absolutelyfabulous on his books.
Laser Flash was tested last season in the Queensland Derby but finished midfield and his targets are more modest this time around with Saturday’s Listed 2000m race a realistic aim.
“He is very well and it would be nice to get a win for the owner, even if it’s not quite the same as the Champion’s Mile,” Payne said.
“Jeff Lloyd will ride him so it will be a South African affair.”
Veteran jockey Lloyd returned to riding last month after being sidelined for more than a year after suffering a stroke.
The 52-year-old admitted he thought at times his career was over but he showed with his winning ride on the Payne-trained Paederos at Canterbury, he had lost none of his skills.
Lloyd and Payne were a successful combination in South Africa for almost a decade and joined forces in Sydney during the mid-to-late 2000s before Lloyd relocated to Hong Kong for three years.
Laser Flash is among 17 entries for the Lord Mayor’s Cup (2000m) with multiple stakes winner Permit the highest rated on 104 and one of seven nominations from the Chris Waller stable.
Veteran stayer Maluckyday, second in the 2010 Melbourne Cup, is also among the nominations but trainer Joe Pride admits he is at a cross-road in his career.
“I’d like to see him get that killer punch back,” he said.
“He is working well but I’d like to see him finish off better than he has.”