Francis Lui Kin-wai has booked star Australian jockey Jamie Kah to partner improving speedster Packing Treadmill in the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m) later this month.

Kah will return to Sha Tin almost a year to the day since she snared the Classic Mile aboard Voyage Bubble for Ricky Yiu Poon-fai.

“The owner [Edmond Lee Man-bun] suggested Jamie and she will ride him on January 28,” Lui said.

Kah replaces Lyle Hewitson, who has ridden Packing Treadmill in all five starts this season for a win and three minor placings.

After a strong showing in the Group Three Bauhinia Sprint Trophy (1,000m) on the weekend, Packing Treadmill is set to lock horns with the brilliant Lucky Sweynesse.

Racing in Group company for the first time in the Bauhinia Sprint Trophy, the five-year-old was squeezed out to the back of the nine-horse field before powering home for third with the fastest final 400m of the race.

“Of course I was pleased, but the field was not strong,” Lui said, daring to dream of toppling four-time Group One winner Lucky Sweynesse. “You never know, but of course he’s very good.”

Lui will have one eye on another upcoming feature when he heads to Sha Tin on Saturday, with potential Classic Mile participants Chancheng Glory, Speed Dragon and Joyful Hunter all stepping out.

Chancheng Glory chases a fifth win on the bounce in the Class Three Tin Shui Wai Handicap (1,600m) and is joined in the contest, which is restricted to four-year-olds, by another last-start winner, stablemate Speed Dragon.

“At the moment Chancheng Glory is my best [four-year-old] but John Size’s horse [Helios Express] looks too good in the Classic Mile. To run like that in Class Two [is impressive]. But Chancheng Glory is a chance to win five in a row this weekend,” Lui said.

“Speed Dragon is coming, he’s only had three runs and he’s improving. Hopefully he can put his hand up for a Classic Mile as well.”

After his third career win over 1,200m last start, Lui’s Joyful Hunter returns to 1,400m in what the trainer hopes is a revealing Class Three Yuen Long Handicap.

“We will see, earlier in the season he was good but after that he struggled. Then he had a short break and after that he was OK,” Lui said.

“His last run was a good run but I have to see how he performs and then I can tell if he can head to a Classic Mile. At the moment it’s too early to tell.”

In other jockey news, the Jockey Club’s licensing committee granted extensions to Andrea Atzeni, Brenton Avdulla and Keagan de Melo on Thursday, with the trio now contracted until the end of the season.