It has been a lengthy wait for the owners of Rising Power but the Hong Kong Football Club Centenary Challenge Cup (1,650m) at Happy Valley looks like the gelding's chance to break through in style.
Yet to win in 19 starts, Rising Power (Ben So Tik-hung) has been somewhere around the picture in most of his runs this season without quite getting the job done but Wednesday's Class Four trophy race has all the boxes ticked.
The Michael Chang Chun-wai-trained five-year-old has been at his best sitting off a decent speed and hitting the line, and that's the scenario that lays out for him here, with a low draw likely to enable So to have him perched in midfield while the speed runners do their thing.
Then Rising Power has only to repeat his latest performance, finishing strongly into fourth to Golden Addiction over the same trip two weeks ago, to be the one to beat.
But, as these Class Four cups tend to be, the race is no walkover and there are other run-on horses well suited.
Although Twin Turbo (Tye Angland) was right there with the lead last time when he won, that was a sensational tactical ride from Joao Moreira in a very slowly-run race, and the gelding's regular tactical preference is to sit off the speed and run home. Gate one should see him get the ideal trip to do that.
The other horse looking well suited by the pace scenario looks Ho Wongchoy (Karis Teetan), who hasn't won for 16 months, but the eight-year-old is very well handicapped now and has been showing signs of life lately, most recently when he charged home for fourth to Panther Run at this course.