Trainer Tony Millard looks to have jumped straight into the bridle this season with a winner on opening day and a number of prominent finishes and that augurs well for his all-weather specialist Ambitious King in the Chung Hom Kok Handicap (1,200m) at Sha Tin on Wednesday night, reports the Racing Post HK.
The four-year-old international sale griffin made a good fist of his switch to the dirt surface last season, winning twice in good style from four outings, but he gave the impression he was a work in progress who would return stronger from a summer break.
Ambitious King (Joao Moreira) wasn't allowed to give us much of an indication how much better he might have come back when he trialled at Sha Tin on August 29 but it was clear that he has come back on top of his game.
Moreira was aboard then, too, but handled the four-year-old very quietly, switching him on only sufficiently to nose out Glacier Blue but the Brazilian was particularly gentle and there is no telling how comfortably Ambitious King may have scored if let run free.
Inclined to go quite keenly last term, Ambitious King was noticeably more tractable this time in his trial and reserved considerably more energy for the finish than has previously been the case.
That will be important as he may have the speedy Apollo Cavalier (Howard Cheng Yue-tin) and even the hit and miss Cheetah Boy keeping him honest in the lead, while his main danger, John Size-trained Comeback Kid camps on their backs for Karis Teetan.