Ricky Yiu Poon-fai was left wishing the Jockey Club would stage more weekend meetings at Happy Valley after last term’s Hong Kong Derby-winning trainer saddled the final three winners on Sunday’s card at the city circuit.

“What a good Sunday meeting at the Valley. I wish the club had more Sunday meetings at the Valley,” Yiu said after Precise Express, Golden Artie and Splendid Living won consecutive races to wrap up the venue’s only daytime programme this season.

Precise Express landed the first leg of Yiu’s running treble when the galloper, who only got into the Class Four Shenzhen Handicap (1,800m) field when Andrea Atzeni’s original mount, Vincy, was lame on Saturday, beat Amazing Teens by three-quarters of a length under the Italian rider.

Even though Precise Express had gone 14 starts and 525 days without a win, Yiu had a hunch he would defy his tote dividend of $16.90.

“Standby starters have very strong statistics,” Yiu said. “All these years I’ve been following them – strong statistics. He’s been in good condition – last start he was only beaten by three and a half lengths – so I wasn’t surprised he performed well.”

Yiu and Atzeni combined again when Golden Artie won the Class Three Zhaoqing Handicap (1,200m) by a short head from Lyle Hewitson-ridden Brave Star.

A Doomben juvenile winner over 1,200m and seventh in the Magic Millions Classic before Yiu acquired him from Bryan and Daniel Guy last year, Golden Artie broke his Hong Kong duck over 1,400m in April.

Golden Artie had not raced at Happy Valley before the Zhaoqing Handicap, but Yiu’s decision to switch tracks and drop distances paid off handsomely.

“Although he’d performed over 1,400m at Sha Tin, I thought if I ran him over a shorter trip and brought him to Happy Valley, he might meet a weaker field,” Yiu said. “The inside gate also helped.”

Atzeni has ridden three of Yiu’s eight winners this term, and Hong Kong’s 2019-20 champion trainer is a fan of the Italian star in his second city stint.

“I like jockeys who are Andrea’s age,” Yiu said. “They’re very mature after 10 years of riding in races, and you know how tough it is in England – driving around, the bad weather and running in the mud. I’ve always had a high opinion of him.”

In the hands of Hewitson, Splendid Living completed Yiu’s treble when the $3.9 favourite won the Class Three Zhuhai Handicap (1,650m) by one-and-a-quarter lengths from Brilliant Way.

Splendid Living arrived in Hong Kong after winning the final two of his four pre-import starts in the United Kingdom. However, the chestnut gelding did not do himself justice for Yiu before his transformative March 2022 operation on his right fore fetlock.

“He took a while because he had a little setback and needed minor surgery on his joints – it wasn’t his fault,” Yiu said. “Since last season, he’s run really well, and he’s become very genuine.”

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Yiu was not the only trainer to saddle multiple winners at Happy Valley on Sunday. Chris So Wai-yin’s Nordic Combined and Hang’s Choice won the two Class Five contests, the Chaozhou Handicap (1,200m) and the Dongguan Handicap (1,650m), respectively.

Jockey Club stewards suspended Matthew Chadwick for his careless riding aboard Happy Angel in the Shenzhen Handicap. Chadwick will miss one meeting, with the former Tony Cruz Award winner scrubbed out of the Happy Valley card on November 15.