A good off-season break after a promising debut and two solid barrier trials ahead of his return make Star Track a standout selection as banker in the opening leg of the Triple Trio at Sha Tin on Sunday.
Star Track, a strapping but still raw three-year-old last term, was patiently handled ahead of his first run as trainer Paul O'Sullivan waited for some leg problems to heal. The big chestnut eventually got to the races in June and was a short-head second to another promising youngster, David Hall's Brilliant Dream.
Smartly put away for a break, Star Track should return a more mature individual and two barrier trials will have sharpened the son of Starcraft up.
This Class Four is not a simple assignment by any means, and the 1,200m could prove to be too short in future, but the big striding individual should get the right run from gate five with Zac Purton aboard, and sufficient speed to unwind and let down into the contest.
Of the others, older horses up in the weights could provide the toughest opposition.
Francis Lui Kin-wai's Thunder Flyer (Karis Teetan) was highlighted in Racing Post's trials column last weekend after a forward effort, and although first up for nearly nine months, this might be the best chance for the injury-plagued six-year-old.
Dining Star (Neil Callan) drops into Class Four for the first time since July 2013, when he was an impressive winner.
Trials suggest he should be competitive.
At the other end of the scale are two inexperienced gallopers who may benefit from the same sort of patience O'Sullivan has shown with Star Track: Regency Baby (Matthew Chadwick), who started to find his feet at the end of 1,000m on National Day and drops into a good draw, while debutante Super Talent (Gerald Mosse) will have to be dragged back to the rear from gate 14, as he has been in recent trials, but expect to see him run on.
Maybe risk the inexperienced pair, especially the latter, and instead go with Jack's Gem (Keith Yeung Ming-lun).
The middle leg is a Class Four mile, where Top Act (Callan) will be looking for better luck in his rematch with two horses that finished ahead of him last start.
Top Act's fifth-place effort was a total forgive effort and he meets Happy Centenary (Mosse) and Grand Harbour (Nash Rawiller) five pounds and two pounds better at the weights, respectively. Grand Harbour had excuses of his own that time, his jockey losing his whip at a crucial stage, and he is a possible double banker and Happy Centenary should go in.
This is a deep race, with a few older horses set to run a race.
Giggles Forever (Douglas Whyte) has pulled up lame at his last two starts, but with blinkers on and a couple of trials under his belt he cannot be discounted. China Delight (Yeung) seems to have found his level, but has performed first-up previously, while Win It (Eddy Lai Wai-ming) and Let's Goal (Alvin Ng Ka-chun) could figure.
The final leg, a Class Four over 1,400m, looks hardest to disseminate, with question marks over the class of the likely favourites.
Surely the time will come for Hit The Bid (Callan) eventually, and take him as a tentative banker ahead of Beauty Journey (Whyte), Mark Two (Purton) and Stag Knight (Teetan), while the ticket buster could be Canny Franco (Olivier Doleuze).
