Veteran mentor Bruce Hutchison gained a lifeline last week when the Licensing Committee accepted his submissions and granted him a training licence for next season.
And trackwork at Sha Tin yesterday morning suggested that Hutchison will be taking big steps to vindicate the decision at Wednesday night's Happy Valley meeting.
His Red Zone looks certain to be one of the favoured runners in the night's feature, Indian Recreation Club Challenge Cup, and he looked primed for a big effort as he dashed the last quarter of an 800-metre gallop in impressive style.
The Irish-bred five-year-old was a certainty beaten last time out when finishing fourth to Grassland Star over 1,000 metres and the step up to 1,200 metres should be ideal.
Red Zone has done nothing but improve in recent weeks and Hutchison has him going better than at any stage this season.
Brilliant Leader is not one of the better workers at any time as he goes about his work with a distinctive shuffle.