HONG KONG champion River Verdon makes his Happy Valley debut tonight in a move that certainly adds enormous interest to the first leg of the innovative Sprint Championship.
The Jockey Club wisely moved to make speed races more important to owners - and thus swing the emphasis on importing horses away from hoped-for Derby winners - by putting up a Champion Sprint series this season.
The series encompasses three races, tonight's $1.35 million Happy Valley Trophy, the $1.7 million Centenary Cup and the $2.75 million Chairman's Prize as the climax next May.
A special prize of $400,000 goes to the owner of a horse that sweeps all three races with $160,000 going to connections of a horse that takes two of the series.
River Verdon's trainer, David Hill, has had his eye on the series since before the start of the season - even though his decision to run River Verdon at the tight city track has caught many by surprise.
''It just so happens that all the races fall before our major targets for the season - this one before the International Cup, the next one before the Gold Cup and the Chairman's Prize before the Champions and Chater Cup at the end of the season.