For the second successive season, Australian trainer David Hall has a member of the BMW Hong Kong Derby field in a Class Two 1,400m contest at Sha Tin only eight days out from the HK$24 million feature.

The similarities between Captain Win and Atullibigeal do not end there because both gallopers ran in the same Class Three 1,600m event four weeks before that year’s Derby, with Captain Win finishing fifth in the 2022 Werther Handicap and Atullibigeal leaving, among many others, Captain Win trailing in dominating the 2023 TVB Midlife, Sing & Shine Handicap.

But whereas Captain Win bypassed the Derby following his second placing in the 2022 Pat Sin Leng Handicap – Hall decided not to proceed because the runner-up, again, travelled keenly – the handler’s plan is to use Saturday’s Lung Kong Handicap as Atullibigeal’s stepping stone to Hong Kong’s most prestigious race.

Hugh Bowman has ridden Atullibigeal on each of his past four appearances, of which they have won two as a partnership, but the Australian jockey has not ridden below 123 pounds this term and the Kiwi import’s allocated weight is 120 pounds.

Luke Ferraris, who has been aboard Atullibigeal for two of his nine trials in Hong Kong, rode the Derby contender in his most recent couple of gallops and steers him from the outside gate this weekend.

Since 2000, nine gallopers – Depeche Mode (2000), Golconda (2002), Galaxy Treasure (2009), Grand Dragon (2010), Mark Up (2011), Real Specialist (2012), Albiceleste (2013), Bullish Boy (2014) and World Famous (2020) – have run in a Derby fewer than 14 days after their previous start.

Depeche Mode, Golconda and Real Specialist won their pre-Derby races before finishing 13th, ninth and ninth, respectively, in the marquee event. Of the recent Derby runners who backed up relatively quickly, the highest-placed finisher was Galaxy Treasure, who crossed the line in seventh spot.

Atullibigeal is not Hall’s only interesting entry on Saturday’s 10-race programme, with the Melbourne Cup-winning conditioner finally getting Hong Kong Hall to the races 15 months after the big-margin Kiwi trial winner arrived in the city.

Hong Kong Hall sustained a right hind pelvis injury in April soon after his first local trial. Gelded six months later, Hong Kong Hall has trialled seven more times across Conghua, Happy Valley and Sha Tin, winning his past two heats under Zac Purton.

Back from his two-meeting Hong Kong suspension and two Group One triumphs in Australia, Purton jumps off Francis Lui Kin-wai’s Innoconstruction to ride Hong Kong Hall in the Class Four Sa Po Handicap (1,000m).

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Sha Tin’s straight course should hold no fears for Hong Kong Hall because five of his eight trials have taken place on it, plus the three-year-old son of Charm Spirit has drawn one of the favourable high-numbered barriers for his competitive debut.

Hall’s other scheduled runners at Sha Tin are Maldives in the Class Three South Wall Handicap (1,400m), Kyrus Unicorn and Flying Mojito in the Class Four Lok Sin Tong Cup (1,400m), Red Brick Fighter in the first section of the Class Four Nga Tsin Wai Handicap (1,400m), Classic Posh in the Nga Tsin Wai Handicap’s second section and Speedstar in the Class Five Hau Wong Handicap (1,400m).