He might sit a rung below the elite, but Money Catcher has rewarded connections handsomely so far this season, and trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen hopes another strong run behind one of Hong Kong’s best will set up his charge nicely for another profitable Group One tilt.

Money Catcher heads into Sunday’s Group Two Chairman’s Trophy (1,600m) with more than HK$10 million in prize money under his belt already this campaign thanks to a pair of Group Three successes and third placings behind Romantic Warrior in the Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) and Golden Sixty in the Gold Cup (2,000m) at the top level.

While he steps back to a distance short of his best in a race where California Spangle is the clear stand-out, Money Catcher is again well placed to pocket his share of the loot.

“I sent him to Conghua for a break, and he’s trialled once since his Gold Cup run [on February 26],” Lor said of his five-year-old, who is on a path to the Group One QE II Cup (2,000m) on Champions Day.

“He looks good, and he looks fresh, so I’ll kick him off over a mile, and then hopefully, he’ll head to the QE II Cup at the end of the month.”

Money Catcher notched a narrow victory over stablemate Healthy Happy in that 1,200m Conghua turf trial on March 30, and the pair will again lock horns, with Lor expecting both to be close to the speed set by California Spangle but giving only one a realistic chance of being in the finish.

“I think he’s reached his level, but with his rating, there are not many choices, so I’ve just put him in this race,” Lor said of Healthy Happy.

Silvestre de Sousa will have to bring Money Catcher across from the outside barrier of eight, while Derek Leung Ka-chun has barrier six at his disposal aboard Healthy Happy, with California Spangle poised to spring to the front from gate two.

Lor is also double-handed in Sunday’s other feature, the Group Two Sprint Cup (1,200m), and his pair, Master Eight and Rewarding Together, face a similarly tough task against the Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained Lucky Sweynesse and the defending champion, Wellington.

A year ago, Master Eight entered this race as the $3.2 favourite before finishing a length behind Wellington in third. However, the five-year-old speedster has done little to impress since.

“I’ve been disappointed in this horse,” Lor said. “I’ve tried everything with him. When I trial the horse on the dirt, he wins easy, but in the races, it’s been different.”

Master Eight will jump from barrier two in a seven-horse race in which Lor is resigned to the fact “you can’t beat Manfred Man’s really good horse”, while Rewarding Together tackles his first Group Two assignment from gate seven.

“Usually, he races at Happy Valley. He hasn’t won a race at Sha Tin yet, and this will be tough,” Lor said.

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Lor engages the same jockeys in both features, with Leung jumping aboard Master Eight and De Sousa piloting Rewarding Together.

Among Lor’s other runners on Sunday are the hat-trick seeking Run Run Buddy in the Class Three Severn Handicap (1,400m) and last-start victor Happy Golf in the Class Four Plantation Handicap (1,200m).