Promising Noble Conqueror is a anything but a straightforward runner, but with the benefit of an inside barrier the erratic four-year-old should have little trouble in bouncing back to his best in the middle pin of tomorrow night's Triple Trio at Happy Valley.
With the TT failing to be won after indifferent results last Wednesday, the bounty on offer is expected to reach HK$7 million and Noble Conqueror looks a perfect banker given that there is little doubt he will progress to better class races this season.
The Danehill gelding turned in a solid performance when making his debut in May before impressively winning his second start four weeks later when trainer Caspar Fownes applied blinkers.
With Noble Conqueror being such a highly strung horse, Fownes opted to remove the headgear at his next start due to the fact he had 'boiled over' before his second-up win. However, a slow getaway proved to be his downfall.
After being sluggish from the gates, Noble Conqueror settled back in the field before coming to the outside in the straight and staying on well to finish a close-up fourth to Wisdom Express.
Noble Conqueror showed he was on target for a successful return to the track when finishing a close third to Dr Candy in a 1,050-metre trial at Sha Tin last Tuesday, a significant improvement on his previous trial 18 days earlier.