Francis Lui Kin-wai heads to Happy Valley on Wednesday night armed with a couple of sprinters boasting impressive form.
With 54 winners on the board this season, Lui is closing in on his total of 61 last term and in Stoltz and Rising From Ashes, he holds at least two strong chances of saluting at the midweek meeting.
Stoltz heads the weights in the Class Two Albert Handicap (1,000m) and comes into the race off the back of a career-best performance after winning at this level last time.
Ridden by championship chaser Zac Purton, Stoltz was sent off a well-backed $2.3 favourite last start against some talented sprinters including Voyage Warrior and Nervous Witness, the latter who has since placed at Group level.
Stoltz produced a performance filled with class, sitting just behind front-runners Classic Unicorn and We The South before producing a strong late finish to win by half a length.
That victory was the four-year-old’s third of a brilliant first season but he has been off the track for nearly two months since and comes into this race after a good win in a decent barrier trial.
“I haven’t been able to find a suitable race for him for a while, that’s why he went to Conghua,” Lui said.
“I think he’ll be better for the freshen up and hopefully he can keep winning. I hope he can win again and Zac is going to ride, which is good.”
Stoltz has gone up 30 ratings points in eight Hong Kong starts but is not the only Lui-trained improver in the race, with Rock Ya Heart rising 19 points during the course of the season.
The four-year-old is chasing his third win of the season after a short-head success in October was followed by another victory sixth months later.
Rock Ya Heart has run over 1,000m just once since arriving in Hong Kong, finishing second on his seasonal reappearance, and will attempt to continue a consistent campaign in which he has finished out of the money just once in 12 starts.
Lui’s Rising From Ashes should be far fresher at this stage of the season and he will make just his seventh start in the Class Three Drake Handicap (1,200m).
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He has improved with every run since his Hong Kong debut in February, finishing 13th first-up and working his way towards a win, which he managed when saluting by an easy two and a half lengths under Joao Moreira over this course and distance last month.
Raised nine points for that success in first-time cheek pieces, Lui is far from confident about his galloper’s chances of following up and is uncertain as to the ceiling of his ability.
“Joao keeps the ride. It’s hard to say what level he can get to because he’s not a strong horse, hopefully he will come back stronger next season,” Lui said.
Lui has a further three runners on Wednesday night’s card with Spicy Grill, debutant Win Win Charity and Foxhunter Way rounding off his hand.
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