Even the big weight and the presence of plenty of rival speed in the Yan Chai Trophy (1,200m) at Sha Tin today won't be enough to stop Access Years from claiming his fourth win on the dirt.

Consistent on the turf but not quite as good, Access Years (Joao Moreira) has set the bar higher in his dirt runs posting fast times and matching it with the best dirt sprinters we have in Hong Kong.

And the John Size-trained sprinter has been very consistent on the all-weather surface, with three wins from eight starts and rarely a poor run on it, and coming back into Class Two today he looks very well graded.

He certainly hasn't been disgraced on the turf in two starts this season, when not far away in the Chief Executive's Cup and the National Day Cup as well, but this is his real forte this afternoon and those runs will serve to ensure his fitness for this one.

Access Years is as quick early as most of the better dirt sprinters in town but Moreira has tactical decisions to make in the early stages today as there is plenty of other pace engaged.

Go Baby Go, Fabulous November, Charity Joy and Startling Power (Keith Yeung Ming-lun) can all run along early and make the Size-trained six-year-old work with his top weight.

So, when Access Years begins as quickly as he invariably does, Moreira will have to assess the tempo and decide whether to hold the rail or sit behind if the others want to go too quickly.

It goes without saying that the Brazilian champ gets a lot of those choices right and, whatever he chooses to do, Access Years won't be too far away in the run and will be joining the leaders at some point in the straight.

That gives him a head start over the horse which might prove to be his major opposition, Ricky Yiu Poon-fai-trained lightweight Great Spirit (Derek Leung Ka-chun), another horse who is handy on the turf but really excels on the dirt.

On face value, he should appreciate a solid pace with his get-back style, but it has been noticeable this season to date that not too many dirt winners have been giving away big starts so that remains a query for him coming out of a wide draw.

Key Witness (Karis Teetan) and Disciples Twelve (Vincent Ho Chak-yiu) are interesting propositions trying the dirt for the first time. Both of them like a good speed on up the front and both have trialled well on the surface in the past.