Courier Wonder might be the best youngster John Size has produced in recent times, but the three-year-old finds himself at a crossroads when it comes to beating the handicapper.

Boasting a rating of 80 after just two starts, Courier Wonder is in rare air when it comes to handicapping and he will need to replicate the likes of Silent Witness if he is to go on with it and mark himself as Hong Kong’s next big thing in the Class Three D’Aguilar Peak Handicap (1,200m).

Only a handful of previously unraced horses have reached 80 after two starts in the modern era, but even fewer have managed to win after copping a huge two-race rating from the handicapper with the likes of Taverner (2009), Little Cow (2012), Jing Jing Win (2016), Pakistan Star (2016) and Voyage Warrior (2019) all falling short as short-priced favourites in their third start.

Champion sprinters Silent Witness (rated 80) and Sacred Kingdom (77) are some of the only horses to go on to win after copping the huge two-race hit.

After his devastating five-and-a-quarter length debut victory in October, Size opted to give Courier Wonder a five-month break in order to allow him to strengthen up to deal with the rigours of racing seasoned horses up in class.

The master trainer believes he has now reached the point where he can deal with the pressures that come with it.

“He looks like he is ready to go on with it now, I think he has strengthened up a bit,” he said.

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“He is fine, there are no hiccups to report. He has had three weeks to get over his race so I am hoping that we will go to the races and run well again.”

While the 11-time champion trainer is typically reluctant to race three-year-old’s in Class Two, he said Courier Wonder’s five-month break could mean he races on should he win, as expected on Sunday.

“I can’t predict anything until I see this race, it is a case of one run at a time but I think he is ready to kick on with,” he said.

“We will just race him and he will tell us, that is the best way to go – they will tell you what they want.”

While Size typically plays a straight bat on the future prospects of his horses, he admitted the son of Sacred Falls could be his most promising youngster in years.

“Yeah, I can’t name another one [this good] just at the minute so he would be the best young one I have had for a while,” he said.

Meanwhile, Silver Express returns for Size in the Class Two Cheung Lin Shan Handicap (1,400m) after misfiring in the Hong Kong Derby last month.

The four-year-old was a dominant Class Three winner prior to the Derby but found the testing 2,000m trip too much.

“It is just a matter of whether he has got over that Derby or not,” Size said. “He has had three weeks off and whether he can bounce back from that in three weeks, I’m not sure.

“It seems to be a nice, competitive race so we will find out quickly whether we can go on with it or if he needs a break after the Derby but a race is probably the best way to find out.”

Size also saddles up Beauty Fit, Noble Man, Rhapsody and Dragon baby on the day.