Penglai Xianzi looked a transformed horse when scoring a brilliant win first-up from a break and he should have little trouble in offsetting a weight increase in the middle pin of tomorrow's Triple Trio at Sha Tin.
With the TT only being partially won on Thursday, the main prize is expected to reach HK$7 million and, in a race likely to be run at a solid tempo, he should again be able to get over the top of his rivals.
The Tony Cruz-trained three-year-old displayed some talent as a griffin but it wasn't until he was ridden with patience that he displayed his true ability, flashing home to dish out a solid beating to his rivals.
He won't find this a great deal harder, despite a nine-pound rise in weight, and should take the prize again under Matthew Chadwick.
His main dangers are High Intelligent, Cheeky Lad, Namjong Fighters, Sohna and Fly Me To The Moon.
In the opening leg, Darren looks the best banker option, given he will be all the better for a solid first-up performance.
The John Size-trained gelding ran with merit at his only two runs last season, and showed good fight under pressure when resuming to finish second to all-the-way winner Jolly Good Fortune.