Chasing a sixth Class 2 Panasonic Cup Handicap (1400m) victory, master trainer John Size hopes a recent stint at Conghua will trigger a return to form for talented galloper Young Champion at Sha Tin on Saturday (9 November).
Previously successful in the Panasonic Cup with Electronic Unicorn (2001), Gem Of India (2005), Real Specialist (2012), Western Express (2017) and Lucky Express (2021), Size hopes Young Champion can strongly contend in the HK$2.84 million feature despite drawing barrier 14 in a field crammed with emerging talent.
The Irish import, who impressed last season with two wins and a second from three starts, finished eighth when resuming behind Harmony N Blessed over 1200m at Sha Tin on 22 September with jockey Karis Teetan reporting the four-year-old was unsuited by the rain-affected conditions.
Additionally, a post-race endoscopic examination showed a substantial amount of blood in the horse's trachea. Size sent Young Champion to Conghua five days later and, following an encouraging trial performance at the Mainland facility on 25 October, the gelding returns to competition this weekend.
"He (Young Champion ) seems alright, he's been to Conghua and had a trial and he looks like he's in pretty good order. He looks healthy and well and I'm hoping his first run wasn't a true indication of how he's going and I'm looking for him to improve this time," Size said.
"A lot of horses gain benefit from going to Conghua and that will continue. It's just a matter of which ones appreciate it and which ones improve with the time they have spent there."
Young Champion will start from the outside barrier and carry 118lb for Karis Teetan against quality opposition in a field containing four last-start winners – Drombeg Banner, Green N White, Packing Hermod and Rubylot, as well as Hong Kong debutante Harmony Great, who won at Group 1 level in Brazil when racing as Martin Luther King.
The field is headed by this season's G3 Celebration Cup Handicap (1400m) winner The Golden Scenery (133lb), Drombeg Banner (125lb) and Atullibigeal (123lb), while Bottomuptogether, Sunlight Power , Green N White, Superb Boy, Supreme Lucky , Packing Hermod, Rubylot, Harmony Great and Six Pack, have been assigned 115lb.
David Hayes hopes Rubylot can advance HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) claims with a fourth win from five starts as the gelding steps into Class 2 for the first time in the Panasonic Cup.
"He's done well since his last win, which was good," Hayes said. "It's his first try in open company but he's a progressive, young horse, so hopefully he can run well off the light weight. It's a strong race, so we'll see if he's up to them," Hayes said.
Size-trained Wunderbar will chase a seventh win from eight starts when the brilliant chestnut tackles the HK$2.84 million Class 2 Panasonic Japan Made System Kitchen Handicap (1000m) under Zac Purton.
"He (Wunderbar) is fine. He's done well after his last race. He seems in pretty good order," Size said. "He comes back to 1000 metres so that will make it a little more interesting for him and I hope I he's got the speed to keep up with them.
"He's going to have to be travelling at a higher speed to keep in touch with them but he might be capable of doing that. That's the race that's on the programme. The next 1200 metre race for him is a fair way away and he's running in this race to keep him going."
Wunderbar is unbeaten in two starts over Sha Tin's straight 1000m course.
Saturday's (9 November) 10-race card at Sha Tin starts with the Class 5 Panashop Handicap (1650m, dirt) at 1pm.
