Lugal, who captured his first Group 1 title in the Sprinters Stakes, completed his final track work at Sha Tin's turf course on December 5 under jockey Atsuya Nishimura. Displaying his signature fluid stride, Lugal clocked 4F in 50.1 seconds and 2F in 22.5 seconds.

Nishimura expressed satisfaction with the session, saying, "He was moving really well in Japan, and this was another workout I can be happy with."

Barrier number 9 was drawn for the Hong Kong Sprint, a position trainer Haruki Sugiyama described as reasonable. "The jockey and I both wanted to avoid an extreme draw and while it's slightly on the outside, I think it's a generally favourable position," Sugiyama remarked.