Trainers Frankie Lor Fu-chuen and Jimmy Ting Koon-ho will not be using the barrier draw as an excuse in Sunday’s BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) despite Numbers and Little Paradise drawing stalls 13 and 10 respectively.

On paper, likely front-runner Numbers has been given a very stiff task being drawn one from the outside, but Lor was relaxed at Thursday’s ceremony as he looks for a second win in the city’s most coveted race.

His four-year-old was second in the Group One Queensland Derby (2,400m) at Eagle Farm last June and was also fifth in the Group One Australian Derby (2,400m) two starts prior, so the import will have no issues regarding the trip.

Winning two of his four Hong Kong starts so far, Numbers landed the Group Three Centenary Vase (1,800m) two starts ago before a respectable fourth in the Classic Cup (1,800m) on his next outing.

Like in the Classic Cup, he might need to use a lot of early petrol to cross to the lead from barrier 13 but Lor is not concerned.

“It’s still OK. He’s a big horse – he can jump, go forward and see what horses on the inside will go forward. If nothing else does, he can lead by himself. If something else wants to lead, he can sit second, third or fourth,” Lor said.

Lor also trains the Classic Cup winner Stormy Grove, who rocketed into Derby contention with that scintillating performance on his first start beyond the mile and will break from barrier seven under Harry Bentley.

“I think the draw’s OK for him. He has been getting back in the field but maybe this time, he can sit midfield. If he relaxes, I think he can have a strong finish like last time,” Lor said.

For Little Paradise’s trainer Ting, the prospect of breaking from stall 10 is actually the perfect scenario, with the 53-year-old hoping his emerging star can bounce back from his eight in the Classic Cup.

Before that, he was a jaw-dropping winner of the Classic Mile, lashing home after extricating himself out of traffic problems at the 200m pole to surge past the leaders in rapid time.

The Toronado galloper was always on the back foot after a slow start in the Classic Cup, but Ting believes he has ironed out that potential kink and is looking forward to letting his charge loose on Sunday.

“It’s better than being in stall one or stall two, because the last few times he’s got stuck during the race, so I think an outside draw is better than the inside for him,” Ting said of the draw.

“It all depends on the pace. If it’s a good pace, I hope that he can get a midfield trip and two-wide. Last time he jumped slow, so after that I repeated two stall works with him and he is jumping better.

“He comes into the race in better form than the last time. This time, he will jump well; I’m not worried about that.

“I think he will rate even higher in the future, the only worry is the 2,000m trip, as we just don’t know. We think he can handle it, but you never know. I’m very calm and hope he can get a good result for me.”

Of the other main contenders, Mark Newnham was delighted with stall three for Invincible Ibis, who had excuses when sixth in the Classic Mile and thrashed home for second in the Classic Cup last start.

“Ten minutes prior, I would have taken stalls one to five, so three gives him options depending on the pace; it’s one of those gates where you don’t have to push or drag back,” Newnham said.

There was agony for trainer David Eustace, however, with his contenders Seraph Gabriel and Dazzling Fit drawing barriers 12 and 14 respectively.

It is particularly harsh on Dazzling Fit’s jockey Luke Ferraris, who has now drawn the outside barrier for the last two years, having almost piloted My Wish to success 12 months ago when a nose second to Cap Ferrat.

Of the other contenders, barrier one – which is yet to see a Derby winner since the distance was changed to 2,000m in 2000 – has gone the way of Chris So Wai-yin’s Top Dragon, while Lor’s third string Regal Gem has drawn gate four.

Connections of Sagacious Life (two), Juneau Pride (five), Patch Of Cosmo (six), Emblazon (eight) and Pope Cody (nine) are unlikely to grumble at their draws, though Tony Cruz is unlikely to be thrilled with stall 11 for Beauty Bolt.