The Celebration Cup has been a great launching pad for horses headed towards Group One success in the past and John Size-trainedContentment gets his chance to add himself to that list at Sha Tin today Thursday, Oct 1).

The race was called the National Day Cup until last term's inexplicable swapping of names with the other feature today, but what's in a name? It still features a serious line-up of talent, with Group One performers at the top of the weights and those who would usurp them getting the handicap advantages at this stage.

Contentment (Joao Moreira) has six wins from nine appearances, has the style and record of a horse headed for somewhere good this campaign and his stats are topped off with an unbeaten record at 1,400m and an unbeaten record first-up.

At the end of last season, Size was non-committal about which direction Contentment might be headed this term - to make his name as a miler or perhaps over further - but the campaign starts today to find out.

This race has seen the odd dominant performance by a well-performed topweight, like Fairy King Prawn in 2001 or like Ambitious Dragon's stunning victory 10 years later, but more often it has been decided by the handicaps and some future Group One winners like Fellowship and Lucky Nine first made their mark in this event with a weight advantage.

Contentment falls into that latter category, making his first foray into open age Group company after a typically tough win in a 1,600m Class One on the final day of last season. And, while he gives away race fitness to his main rivals, he has not had too long a break and Size has found time to give him two barrier trials as well.

High amongst the five-year-old's qualities are a tactical ability to be wherever his jockey requires him and that enables him to take full advantage of his inside gate.

Domineer seems an obvious leader in the race, with Dundonnell and Contentment coming out to follow him and Beauty Flame and Super Lifeline working across from higher up the draw.

There looks sufficient speed to give everyone their chance but also enough to discourage anything too heroic from the wider draws, so Divine Calling (Vincent Ho Chak-yiu) and low-drawn Giant Treasure(Douglas Whyte) should prefer to take a sit behind the speed.

That should suit Giant Treasure better than the outside draw when he ran first-up this season and was forced to work forward mid-race, leaving him empty at the 200m when sixth as favourite behind Beauty Only. Today, the draw will allow Whyte to conserve the grey's energy for the part of the race that really counts, the finish.