Fresh from a Group Three victory at the weekend, Ricky Yiu Poon-fai is hoping to extend his fine recent form at Happy Valley when he sends an improving galloper to the city circuit on Wednesday night.

Yiu, whose Sha Tin double included success in the Group Three Centenary Vase (1,800m) with Nimble Nimbus, has had winners at the past four Valley meetings and will put a saddle on six runners as he attempts to return to the winner’s enclosure.

Watch Buddy has been improving fast of late and is set to run in the second section of the Class Three Victoria Park Handicap (1,200m).

The four-year-old has won three of his past five races since switching to the Valley after four runs at Sha Tin and, while he has been raised six points for his latest win and is set to carry more weight, Yiu is confident the son of Rothesay can again perform well.

“He’s a very honest horse and maybe he’s a specialist at the Valley, but I hope he can run well again,” Yiu said. “He won well last time and I wouldn’t worry about the weight too much – he’s very uncomplicated.”

While Watch Buddy has been hugely consistent of late, Yiu’s other runners would need to bounce back to form to make an impact at the Valley.

Lucky Eight competes in the Class Three Hong Kong Park Handicap (1,650m), with Yiu attempting to stretch the three-time 1,200m winner out to this trip for only the second time after he faded to finish seventh over course and distance on his last start.

Yiu’s Joyful Friendship has also been tried over a variety of distances during his eight-race Hong Kong career and drops back to 1,200m for section two of the Class Four Kowloon Park Handicap (1,200m).

Having finished closer than four lengths behind the winner only once in his eight starts, it would appear he has his work cut out.

Reach Goal’s best performances over the past couple of years have come over 1,800m or further so stepping back to 1,650m in the Class Four Morse Park Handicap may not provide his optimum conditions, while he has been off the track since October after bleeding from both nostrils following his last race.

Veteran Precise Express provided Yiu with one of his 28 winners this season when successful over the Valley 1,800m in October and the eight-year-old steps up to 2,200m for the first time in the Class Four Fa Hui Park Handicap.

Brilliant Pioneer lines up in section one of the Class Five Shan Kwong Road Park Handicap (1,650m). The five-year-old joined Yiu in the summer and showed promise in his first couple of starts but he has lost his way of late and was beaten nearly 17 lengths last time.

Yiu has bagged 14 winners since the turn of the year – more than any other trainer – and the handler’s red-hot start to 2024 is undoubtedly headlined by Voyage Bubble’s impressive victory in last month’s Group One Stewards’ Cup (1,600m).

The 66-year-old conditioner was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Helios Express won the first leg of the four-year-old series at Sha Tin on Sunday but a fine morning workout from Voyage Bubble has left him contemplating the galloper’s future.

“He galloped [on Sunday] morning and I’m very happy with him,” Yiu said of the 2023 Classic Mile and Hong Kong Derby winner.

“He’s a very exciting horse and I’m seeing the owner this week to decide [where to go next]. They are usually travelling with business, so we’ll decide some time next week. He’ll run in a local race first before we decide whether to go abroad.”