We will never know whether Flame Hero would have won had he gained clear running last start, but with a suitable step up in trip and against a weaker Happy Valley field, the Peter Ho Leung-trained four-year-old stands out as banker in the opening leg of tomorrow's Triple Trio, reports the Racing Post in Hong Kong.

Flame Hero was marked as the best bet of the card at Sha Tin by many back on September 15, but those who backed the gelding down to 2.9 favourite are still waiting for jockey Weichong Marwing to see daylight.

Marwing's predicament prompted race caller Darren Flindell to quip that he would need a can opener to extricate himself from the pocket - the South African jockey couldn't, but gets a golden opportunity to make amends tomorrow night.

Just as Flame Hero looked ready for the step up to 1,400m last start, 1,650m seems the right move now. He relaxes well and an unextended last-start effort will serve as an ideal platform.

Gate eight is tricky for Marwing this time, but it's the make-up of the field that makes Flame Hero stand out; he looks like a horse going much higher, based on what he did in his first two starts - and there doesn't look like many progressive types drawn against him. Others to throw in are Hei Hei Posh (Douglas Whyte), King Haradasun (Karis Teetan) and Master Gunner (Vincent Ho Chak-yiu).

The middle pin is a 1,200m Class Four, and the most competitive race of the TT - there are at least eight here with genuine winning chances.

Using the draw to sort the hopefuls out, take Red Lucky Star (Olivier Doleuze) from gate two as banker - after two solid runs he will not have to be bustled from the barriers like he was last start and will get a soft run compared to a few here.

Take Hurry Hurry Up (Zac Purton) and as many of this group as you can afford: Sight Lover (Tye Angland),Double Master (Teetan), Hearts Keeper (Ben So Tik-hung), Brave Brother (Whyte) and King Derby(Nicola Pinna).

In the final leg, Prolific Champion (Matthew Chadwick) gets a good draw and a favourable weight turnaround to reverse a last-start nose defeat to Highest Acclaim (Purton).

Prolific Champion meets his rival three pounds better off, and combined with the better draw, he gets the edge this time, even though Highest Acclaim seems to have more improvement in him and may ended up rated higher this season. (www.racing.scmp.com)