The progressive Don’t Miss has been running his rivals ragged and can do that again in the Class Three Sauternes Cup (1,650m) at Happy Valley on Wednesday night.

The Peter Ho Leung-trained four-year-old didn’t make much of an impact in the first six starts of his career but has been on fire since employing some different tactics and taking up the early running.

Don’t Miss is yet to finish outside the placings after making the change, with three wins, a second and a third – all over the Valley’s extended mile – to his credit.

He will do the same thing here, rolling forward from barrier nine with Matthew Poon Ming-fai in the saddle, and the apprentice will try to dictate proceedings, upping the ante from the 600m and daring the others to catch him. If he is allowed to do things at his leisure, they probably won’t.

There are three likely candidates to put the pressure on Don’t Miss in the run – Outlawed, Winwin Ruby and Super Sprinter.

All have pushed forward in the past and they all have reasons to do so in this contest. Outlawed (Karis Teetan) and Super Sprinter (Alberto Sanna) have both drawn double-digit barriers, while Winwin Ruby has the services of apprentice Jack Wong Ho-nam.

If one or two of them can ensure there is enough speed in the race, it would hurt Don’t Miss’ chances (and their own) while opening it up for a back-marker.

Casper Fownes’ Friends Of Ka Ying (Zac Purton) could be the one to benefit the most in that scenario. He caught the eye last start and finished right alongside Don’t Miss and meets him two pounds better at the weights. Friends Of Ka Ying has won off a mark of 88 before and is now down to 78.

The other runner who has dropped significantly in rating since his last win if Dukedom (Douglas Whyte).

A Group One winner in New Zealand, he hasn’t lived up to those standards in Hong Kong but won off a rating of 75 last season and is now down to 65.

The five-year-old hasn’t been too far away in recent runs and it would not be a shock if he is in the finish.