It isn't often we have two bites at the same cherry within three days, but the David Hall-trained Happy Tumbler can turn Sunday's all-weather defeat upside down to win the Cafeteria Handicap (1,800m) at Happy Valley tonight.
Happy Tumbler (Brett Prebble) was heavily backed when he was unable to overcome an on-pace bias on the dirt - unfortunately, a situation that is all-too frequent on that surface.
But the four-year-old raced well, taking more than four lengths off the leading runners from the top of the straight in an effort that bodes well for his return to the city track.
Hall is one of Hong Kong's best trainers, so seeing him back the gelding up only a few days later is a clear sign he has come through that race in good shape. And horses backing up so quickly have a fine winning record.
This season, 52 horses have run again within four days of racing, and eight of those have won and another 10 placed. Look no further than Macho Expresso on the weekend for Hall's latest quick back-up horse to run well.
Happy Tumbler will return to the scene of his 1,650m wins, but this time he tackles an 1,800m race for the first time in his career. That is the question mark for the son of Danehill Dancer, whether he can produce the same finishing acceleration at the end of 1,800m as 1,650m - 150m extra can be a long way at times.