Trillion Win upstaged his more-fancied rivals in the Class Two Cheung Hong Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Sunday, while Naboo Attack lost no admirers with a gallant second and Killer Bee left connections scratching their heads.

Alexis Badel positioned Trillion Win just behind the leaders on a track that favoured on-pace runners all day, peeling the Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained five-year-old off heels 300m from home and hitting the line for a comfortable victory.

“He gained maturity during the off-season, toughness maybe. He was much more relaxed before the race, very focused and he stood still in the gates, so he flew from the gates and I was able to take control so I never felt like I was in danger,” said the French jockey, who had a double on the day after earlier saluting aboard the Benno Yung Tin-pang-trained Voyage Star.

“He had a smoother race today, maybe first-up I was a little bit too ambitious so I was very happy to take a sit and give him a chance.”

It was Trillion Win’s second Hong Kong victory at start nine and the speedster – sent out the $6.45 fourth elect – came on nicely from a close fifth over five furlongs a fortnight ago.

“Last season we might have pushed him too hard but after a two-month break in summer and a 1,000m race as a warm-up, I thought he would run very well. I think he can win again in Class Two but in Class One he would need luck,” Man said.

After taking Naboo Attack back to near last from gate nine, Australian jockey Zac Purton found a wall of horses in front of him turning for home and opted for a run up the inside.

The five-year-old, who had won two from two in Hong Kong before Sunday’s race, proceeded to surge home against the bias with a 21.97-second final 400m, one of only two under 22 seconds for the afternoon.

“Nothing could make ground all day, especially if your were trying to make your run back and wide, it was like you were stuck in quicksand going nowhere,” Purton said.

“With the lack of tempo around the corner I had no choice but to go back inside to try and get myself into the race. He ran really well, it was a good effort.”

Trainer David Hayes was also pleased with the effort and confirmed plans to line up in the Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m) in December remain intact, potentially via just one more run in the Group Two Jockey Club Sprint (1,200m) on November 21.

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“If I want to keep him sprinting I don’t want to race him too much,” Hayes said.

The Classic Series-bound Killer Bee lacked his customary finishing burst on his way to a plain seventh, four and a half lengths off the winner, and jockey Joao Moreira reported to stewards that while Killer Bee “did make a respiratory noise during the race, it had done this previously and therefore he did not consider this to have impacted on the horse’s performance”.

“He definitely didn’t finish off the race like he is capable. I’m hopeful he just needed the run,” Moreira told the Post.