John Size already has a stable full of sprint stars but Ivictory should be joining the top ranks soon after the bombproof speedster continued to rocket through the grades with a convincing Happy Valley win on Wednesday night.

Size has seven sprinters rated in triple figures already, including Group One winners Mr Stunning and D B Pin, while rising star Hot King Prawn is on 98.

It remains to be seen whether Ivictory (Joao Moreira) can scale those heights but the four-year-old is certainly headed in the right direction, and fast, with a fifth win from six career starts and second straight success since returning from a leg injury earlier this month.

“Every time he has gone to the races he has shown some improvement,” Size said after the facile one-and-a-half length win.

When Ivictory returned on February 4, the gelding showed excellent race sense to stay under control when suffering interference on the turn and the sprinter’s tractability was on show last night.

“He has the speed to keep up with the 1,000m horses but he can throttle down too if he needs to,” Size said.

John Size’s promising types Ping Hai Star and Ivictory justify short quotes

The win with top weight will put Ivictory’s rating well into the 90s and despite Size being cautious with a horse who suffered a left cannon bone injury in training early this term, it appears there have been no long-term effects.

Danny Shum Chap-shing had already grabbed a winner with Sharp Sailor (Nash Rawiller) but the biggest bonus for the trainer was nabbing the Hong Kong Airlines Million Challenge with Charity Glory.

Charity Glory was clubhouse leader heading into the final night and managed to hang on for the HK$650,000 first prize despite finishing unplaced after Super Fluke – the only contender who could have beaten Shum’s horse – also failed to place.

Shum won the Happy Valley Challenge previously with Speedy Longwah in 2015-16 but admitted winning the prize was as much about good luck as it was good management.

“Of course it was the plan for this horse, I said to the owner he looked like the right type of horse for it,” Shum said. “But you need a horse that is low down in the handicap with some room to move up. If they are too high in the ratings they run out of races to run in.”

Last year’s Million Challenge winner Packing Dragon made it back-to-back wins earlier in the night and delivered in-form apprentice Matthew Poon Ming-fai a running double to start the meeting.

Packing Dragon will now head to Taipa for the first leg of the Macau Hong Kong Trophy on March 4 and trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai said last night’s win was a bonus.

Danny Shum seeking Happy Valley Million Challenge success with Charity Glory

“He will run a good race over there but this was a surprise – we only entered him because we saw it was such a small field,” Yiu said after Packing Dragon kicked away from his five Class One rivals. “But he loves the Valley and has been an amazing horse for the stable.”

Poon was full of admiration for Packing Dragon, a half-brother to former champion Ambitious Dragon who has now won eight races at the Valley.

“When he sees a horse come along side him he really fights and finds more,” he said.

Happy Valley Trophy winner Born In China has been reborn this term and Douglas Whyte said it was in part due to the patience of trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai.

“He was struggling with lameness last season but a six-month break has made all the difference to him, it is showing in the way he is racing,” Whyte said.

Born In China can thwart rival bids for Happy Valley Million Challenge

Tommy Berry had already ridden a winner with Sichuan Boss but made it a double in the most eventful race on the evening when Imperial Gallantry charged home late to win the last.

Moreira was left in the barriers by Dances With Dragon and the loose horse proceeded to cause interference as he looped around and through the field.

David Ferraris was relieved to get a late career win out of Sharp Hunter (Pierre-Charles Boudot) but fears for the nine-year-old if the handicapper is too harsh.

“He has come back from a tendon injury and that was a tough win, but is the type of horse that just can’t seem to compete up in Class Three,” he said.

It was a busy night in the ­stewards room with a host of ­jockeys earning suspensions with Moreira (Arizona ­Blizzard), Sam Clipperton (Bank On Red) and Jack Wong Ho-nam (Fortune Bo Bo) all copping two-meeting bans for indiscretions.