Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained Amber Sky's brilliant straight line, short course speed makes him the one to beat in today's National Day Cup (1,000m) despite a big handicap but the first black type feature of the season carries some intriguing angles.
Not the least of the questions over the event is whether those at the top of the weights can give away so much handicap poundage to some upwardly mobile and lightly weighted opposition.
Past results in these Group Three handicaps at all distances show that lightweights are tough to beat even if, on paper, the gap is probably even wider than usual between their past performances in this particular race and those of Amber Sky (Joao Moreira) and Sterling City (Douglas Whyte).
Up the top of the weights we have Group One winners on the world stage while Rad (Keith Yeung Ming-lun), Bundle Of Joy and Super Jockey, for example, have only won in Class Two.
Take things back to October last year and Amber Sky was in Class Two as well but his win in that grade with 133 pounds was superior to what the lighter weighted runners here have done in the same class - now it's a case of whether the talent he has shown on straight courses is 20 pounds better.
It's a finely-balanced argument, made none the easier by the fact that Rad's limitations have yet to be found. He has never been beaten and has only once looked in danger of it happening, and that was just for a couple of strides in his most recent win in May.
And then there's the question of that target on Amber Sky's back and whether his rivals are even quick enough to pressure him through the race.
Go Baby Go (Howard Cheng Yue-tin) was once fast enough to do it and was strong enough to win this race last year, but he blotted his copybook in the back half of the season and now we have to see whether, at seven years old, he is still quick enough.
And if Go Baby Go or Rad or Bundle Of Joy is fast enough to make Amber Sky do it tough, could they just be putting the race within the reach of Sterling City?
Punters will likely underestimate the John Moore-trained sprinter on the basis of the 1,000m, as he is a horse who runs on even at 1,400m.
But Sterling City is a quality animal, unbeaten first-up, who won his only race over the course - albeit in Class Four - and he is drawn in the right place to be following the pace then powering home late to find any weaknesses in the speed runners.
