On Wednesday night at Happy Valley, Manfred Man Ka-leung’s Encountered attempts to do what only Rapper Dragon, Beauty Generation and Dark Dream have done in the past six seasons – win a race fewer than 30 days after running in a Hong Kong Derby (2,000m).

Rapper Dragon and Beauty Generation were first and third, respectively, in the 2017 Derby before both subsequent Horse of the Year recipients backed up three weeks later and won events on the April 9 card at Sha Tin.

Rapper Dragon dropped back in distance and claimed the Group Two Chairman’s Trophy (1,600m), while Beauty Generation went up in trip and secured a Class Two handicap over 2,200m.

In 2019, Dark Dream parlayed his Derby fourth into a Class One handicap victory over 2,000m at Sha Tin 21 days after he raced without cover and finished one and a half lengths behind Furore in that year’s edition of Hong Kong’s most prestigious race.

The first of this term’s Derby starters to reappear, Encountered – who was a three-and-three-quarter-length ninth to Voyage Bubble in the HK$24 million Classic Series finale on March 19 – is the lightest-weighted galloper in the 11-runner Class Two Wyndham Handicap (1,650m) field.

Encountered earned his spot in this season’s Derby through his exploits at Happy Valley in December, January and February. The four-year-old son of Churchill, whom Man acquired from Newmarket-based trainer Marco Botti, posted two wins and one second from his three winter starts at the city circuit.

Jockey Club handicappers lifted Encountered’s mark from 67 to 83 as a consequence of his three Happy Valley performances, which meant he was the 12th highest-rated runner in this term’s Derby line-up.

Silvestre de Sousa rode Encountered in not only the Derby but also the Classic Cup (1,800m) and his three pre-Classic Series runs at Happy Valley.

However, De Sousa begins his latest suspension on Wednesday night, so Derek Leung Ka-chun stands in for the banned Brazilian jockey. Leung galloped Encountered on Saturday morning.

Encountered encounters no Derby alumni from any year in the Wyndham Handicap, but he does face, among others, hat-trick seeker Nimble Nimbus, last-start winner Savaquin and stable switcher Rise Brethren.

The form of Nimble Nimbus – three victories from six starts this season, including recent back-to-back wins – has his connections on cloud nine. Hugh Bowman rode Nimble Nimbus to his past two successes, but the Australian jockey gives way to Alexis Badel because the galloper’s impost of 122 pounds is lower than the 42-year-old’s minimum riding weight.

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Consequently, Bowman sticks with Savaquin, who went almost two years between victories before he won a Class Two contest over 1,650m at Happy Valley three weeks ago.

A model of consistency throughout his 24 consecutive defeats – he recorded six seconds, five thirds and two fourths during his winless streak, which explains why his rating never fell below 88 – Savaquin races off his highest-ever mark of 96.

A three-time winner for Danny Shum Chap-shing, Rise Brethren makes his first appearance for Jamie Richards following his recent change of trainer. Zac Purton, who was two from five aboard Rise Brethren for Shum, regains the ride from Badel.