A rookie trainer who is proving to be a future star and a jockey in unstoppable form combine with the best banker of Sunday's Triple Trio at Sha Tin with Perfect Joy looking to continue his strong form in the final leg.
Chris So Wai-yin has stormed through the first part of this term with 22 winners to entrench himself in the top five of the Trainers' Championship, while Joao Moreira has been on a tear since his late arrival, collecting 38 winners from just 165 rides - a strike rate of 23 per cent.
Somewhat surprisingly, So and Moreira haven't combined much thus far, but when they have the results have been impressive. Moreira has ridden just three times for So for a win and two seconds.
Perfect Joy, passed along from last season's champion trainer Dennis Yip Chor-hong, has risen from the ashes of Class Five to be one of the banner horses for So - winning twice and placing second twice in four top efforts, all on the dirt.
Now the seven-year-old strikes Class Three, but he finds a weak field and carries just 114 pounds over 1,800m with the lightweight Moreira aboard.
Even though Perfect Joy was beaten at his only try over the trip, he ran it right out for second, and has the draw (six) to be able to find the rail without burning too much fuel early.
Other chances are Todos Con Suerte, on whom Zac Purton will be looking to hunt forward on, Harbour Master (Neil Callan), Smiling Watch (Olivier Doleuze) and perhaps Ole Ole (Alex Lai Hoi-wing), who rolled Perfect Joy over this trip three starts back.
So calls on Moreira's arch rival Purton in the first leg (Class Four) on Why Why, the promising three-year-old coming out of what is shaping as a strong form race - the Griffin Trophy.
Why Why chased hard for third behind potential star Luger, beaten just 2-1/2 lengths and that looks good "dropping back" into Class Four company.
Drawn four, he should be positioned to get the perfect run and even though the pace for this race is a bit of a puzzle, Why Why has the tactical speed to be wherever Purton chooses.
Include Yip's On The Way (Douglas Whyte), who steps up to a more suitable 1,400m at his second start - he may want even further but should figure. Throw in Lucky Day (Gerald Mosse), despite an awful draw, Bundle Of Heart (Callan) and Sunny Pearl (Matthew Chadwick). Moreira rides top weight Medic Swordsman, and leaving out the Brazilian's mounts at the moment seems fraught with danger.
The middle leg, a Class Four over 2,000m, is by far the toughest leg to figure out, but again it is So that punters might look to for the banker.
Spicy Siam (Mosse) is another to bounce out of Class Five with multiple wins since joining the freshman handler's yard, and is looking for his fourth straight victory. Bubbles often burst at this point for horses moving up in class from low ratings, but Spicy Siam runs the trip out hard and has drawn the inside.
Another to consider is last start winner Malayan Pearl (Mirco Demuro), but don't discount two horses that finished behind him and were disadvantaged by tempo in that race - Hei Hei Posh (Purton) and Activism (Callan). This time they should get more speed with Namjong Turbo and Magnumous bowling along up in front.
Golden Scalpel (Doleuze) and Funny Fortune (Alvin Ng Ka-chun) are other chances.
