Brenton Avdulla makes his Happy Valley debut on Wednesday night, and the 13-time Group One-winning rider hopes his first meeting at the city circuit is less frustrating than his only Sha Tin experience.

Avdulla, whom the Jockey Club has licensed until the end of this season, was booked to ride In Her Time in the 2019 Group One Hong Kong Sprint (1,200m), but she was a race-day scratching, which left the Australian visitor with only one ride – Hercules, a $208 chance starting a Class Three contest over 1,400m from gate 14. Dennis Yip Chor-hong’s galloper finished 10th.

Nicknamed The Gun in Sydney, where he was the 2017-18 metropolitan jockeys’ premiership winner, Melbourne-raised Avdulla has three Happy Valley assignments on Wednesday night – Loriz and Villa Fionn for Ricky Yiu Poon-fai and Nicconi County for Caspar Fownes.

Loriz, who begins the second section of the Class Four Renfrew Handicap (1,200m) from barrier three, was last of 12 on his most recent appearance, while Villa Fionn, who starts the Class Three Selkirk Handicap (1,650m) from gate 11, is nought from 27 in the grade.

Consequently, Nicconi County represents Avdulla’s best chance of entering Happy Valley’s winner’s circle. The four-year-old sprinter, who commences the Class Three Wiltshire Handicap (1,200m) from barrier 11, is a two-time winner at the level over the course and distance.

Nicconi County returns to the city circuit, where his form is several lengths better than at Sha Tin, following three runs in the New Territories.

Avdulla arrived in Hong Kong with his wife, Taylor – the eldest daughter of Neil Paine, who rode a Group One winner for the Hayes family – and their two young children, Hunter and Bella, on Monday morning. He is best known in Australia for his extravagant victory salute aboard Lasqueti Spirit, the 100-1 winner of the 2016 Group One VRC Oaks (2,500m) at Flemington.

One-paced Lasqueti Spirit, who did not win a race either before or after her VRC Oaks triumph, galloped her rivals into the turf under an enterprising Avdulla ride, and the jockey celebrated by standing in his irons and bowing to the Ladies’ Day crowd as the unfancied combination passed the winning post.

Meanwhile, the Jockey Club has approved Ruan Maia’s application to withdraw his licence, effective from May 18. Maia, who has ridden seven winners this term and holds two rides at Happy Valley on Wednesday night, intends to return to Brazil with his family.

Jerry Chau Chun-lok is free to ride at Happy Valley on Wednesday night after Jockey Club stewards suspended the six-meeting penalty it imposed after finding him guilty of improper riding on Astrologer in last week’s final event at the city circuit.

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Chau is appealing both the finding and the penalty. The Jockey Club has yet to set a date for Chau’s appeal hearing.

The fallout from Sunday’s Champions Day meeting at Sha Tin included a two-meeting ban and a $60,000 fine for Lyle Hewitson, whom Jockey Club stewards found guilty of careless riding aboard Ching. Hewitson’s suspension gets under way on May 10.