Danny Shum Chap-shing is no stranger to big-race success and the veteran handler is quietly confident ahead of one of the biggest days of his career.

An hour and a half after Victor The Winner shoots for glory in Sunday’s Group One Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m) in Japan, Shum’s attention will turn to Chill Chibi, Helene Feeling and his bid to taste BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) glory for the second time.

Shum, who will be at Sha Tin on Sunday after visiting Chukyo racecourse earlier in the week, appreciates the magnitude of the task.

“Absolutely, there’s no doubt [it’s my biggest day at the races],” Shum said. “I’m excited, it’s a busy week. I’ll just focus on the racing.”

Victor The Winner had his final preparation for Sunday’s feature on Saturday morning, with the five-year-old stretching his legs during a gentle trot on the dirt track.

Persistent rain fell throughout the morning and is scheduled to continue on and off until the contest, which is worth HK$19 million.

“The track is very good and they’ve forecast a bit of rain on Sunday,” Shum said after his visit. “There’s racing on Saturday and the Takamatsunomiya Kinen is the second last on Sunday, so the inside of the track might be no good. We’ll see the bias and [jockey] Derek [Leung Ka-chun] will watch closely.”

Leung will have the chance to get to grips with the left-handed, undulating Chukyo track with three rides before he hops aboard Victor The Winner.

A victory for the son of Toronado would mark the first overseas winner of a Japan Racing Association Group One since Aerovelocity triumphed for Hong Kong under similarly damp conditions in the same feature sprint nine years ago.

A win could also begin a mammoth couple of hours for his handler, who launches a two-pronged attack on the Derby.

Shum sends four-time winner Chill Chibi and 95-rated Helene Feeling into battle in the HK$26 million contest, with the former especially exciting the trainer after drawing gate three.

“I think this type of Derby is very open and those with a better draw have a better chance,” Shum said. “Chill Chibi will improve because before his last run he was off for a while and now he’s back to 100 per cent with perfect training. He will definitely run well.”

Chill Chibi got off the mark at the second time of asking at Happy Valley last season and continued his rise this term by quickly ticking off a hat-trick at the city circuit in November.

After placing in Class Two company at Happy Valley, the unexposed four-year-old gave a good account of himself in his maiden effort at Sha Tin to finish a closing seventh in the Classic Cup (1,800m).

Chill Chibi has been gifted a much more favourable draw than stablemate Helene Feeling, who will have to defy gate 11 to collect the Derby crown.

Shum has decided to remove the blinkers from Helene Feeling and calls upon the services of Kiwi ace James McDonald, whom the handler feels is an upgrade from the galloper’s previous jockey, Zac Purton.

“The blinkers are off Helene Feeling – he was too keen,” Shum said. “I think it’s better [than Purton] because James won on him at Happy Valley [this season].”