Trainer Benno Yung Tin-pang will head to Happy Valley on Thursday night hopeful his best horse can continue to surprise him.

Son Pak Fu has rocketed up the ratings in the past year, winning six of his 10 starts since February 15 to rise from Class Four and a mark of 43 to a rating of 96 in advance of the Class Two Albatross Handicap (1,200m).

Yung’s five-year-old is chasing his latest hat-trick this week under Jerry Chau Chun-lok, who is the only rider to have partnered Son Pak Fu in a race, but the trainer is the first to admit he has been taken aback by his stable star’s rise through the ranks.

“If you look at the horse, he doesn’t look that great and he’s not a smart-looking horse,” Yung said.

“I didn’t expect that he could [come this far] but after every run he has kept improving himself and he’s got a very strong heart.”

Yung heads into the Happy Valley meeting in good form after wins for Eighty Light Years in section one of the Class Four Flame Tree Handicap (1,200m) and Fun Together in the second section of the Class Three Chinese Banyan Handicap (1,400m) gave him a double at Sha Tin on Monday.

He continues to be pleasantly surprised by Son Pak Fu and is targeting a financial windfall for his owners, the Gin Syndicate, in the DBS x Manulife Million Challenge.

The competition boasts a first prize of HK$1 million for the horse who earns the most points from top-four finishes in Happy Valley races graded Class Three and above from September 13 until February 21.

“He is in good shape and good form,” Yung said of Son Pak Fu, who sits fourth in the Million Challenge and within reach of leader Chill Chibi.

“This season he has kept improving, which is a good sign for him. He’s in good form now and he’s always competitive, even in Class Two. I’ll keep him at Happy Valley because I’ll try to win the Million Challenge.”

Son Pak Fu heads the weights for this Class Two contest alongside familiar rival Howdeepisyourlove, who finished third on his seasonal reappearance behind Yung’s runner in November.

The John Size-trained four-year-old is now 10 pounds better off for a two-and-a-quarter-length defeat.

Bentley raring to go ahead of Happy Valley return: ‘It’s been a long few weeks’

Connections will be hoping that weight turnaround allied with some expected improvement ahead of the four-year-old’s second start of the season will bring about a reversal in fortunes.

Howdeepisyourlove may not prove the only danger to Son Pak Fu, with Nordic Dragon and Majestic Star leading a host of possible contenders.

However, after winning five races last term, Danny Shum Chap-shing’s Nordic Dragon has yet to hit the same heights this season.

Bought for HK$7 million at the 2022 Hong Kong International Sale, he has made his purchase price back in prize money across his first 12 starts. While yet to finish better than sixth in four starts this season, he could be poised to bounce back.