Last season's boom rookie trainers Caspar Fownes and Danny Shum Chap-shing have set their sights to the skies this season and Town Of Fionn could get the ball rolling for the latter with an international campaign in Japan.
'If Town Of Fionn wins the HKSAR Chief Executive's Cup [tomorrow], I think that will be enough to earn him a trip to Japan for the Sprinters' Stakes,' said Shum, who had plenty of experience in taking horses overseas as assistant to Ivan Allan.
The Sprinters Stakes, 1,200m, is run at Nakayama on Hong Kong's National Day - October 3 - and the 179.4 million yen in prize money exceeds the Hong Kong Sprint stakesmoney by more than $2 million.
'I had a very good season last year but with stronger class in the stable I am looking forward to winning some of the big races this time,' Shum said, and named some of his other international hopefuls. 'Olympic Express seems to be sounder now and he is such a lovely horse.
'Scintillation and Special King Prawn probably won't run until the beginning of October but they are aimed at the Cathay Pacific Trial races and hopefully will earn their place in the internationals at Sha Tin.'
Fownes will find his first season tough to follow, finishing sixth with 44 wins including a record-equalling five-timer at Sha Tin, but isn't fazed by the task.
'With luck, I can have at least as good a season this time but with a big race or two thrown in as well,' he said. 'I've a stronger team on paper and several horses capable of winning Group races - Perfect Partner, Visorhill, Saturn. There's Ambulance, the horse I bought in Australia, who is a Group One winner and raced well against the best there on a regular basis so I know he's up to the class. Even The Duke - every time you think he's found his mark he improves again so he can't be ruled out of taking a decent race.'