The Group One Champions & Chater Cup (2,400m) is down to eight runners after Frankie Lor Fu-chuen confirmed Unbelievable will not take his place after suffering a minor tendon injury.

While Lor maintained he holds no concerns for the long-term future of his regally bred four-year-old, the trainer will put his galloper on ice until next season.

Massive Sovereign will be there next weekend, however, with Dennis Yip Chor-hong deciding to push onto the Champions & Chater Cup with his stable star after tossing up whether to lower his sights with the Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) winner and target next month’s Group Three Premier Plate (1,800m) instead.

Five G Patch, La City Blanche, Moments In Time, Russian Emperor, Senor Toba and Straight Arron complete the local contingent, while star raider Rebel’s Romance arrived in Hong Kong on Saturday night.

A hot favourite in overseas fixed-odds markets after a commanding last-start success in the Group One Dubai Sheema Classic (2,400m), Rebel’s Romance is out to become the first overseas winner of the HK$13 million Champions & Chater Cup.

“Charlie Appleby’s horse will start odds on and should be winning, but there’s plenty of prize money there and we’re hopeful of running very competitively,” said Caspar Fownes, who saddles up Straight Arron and Senor Toba.

“Straight Arron is well. He’s going to have a little bit of work on Tuesday and hopefully he’ll bounce back.”

Samurai salutes again

Voyage Samurai continued his rapid rise with another comfortable victory at Sha Tin on Sunday, with jockey Derek Leung Ka-chun taking the race by the scruff of the neck early from gate 14.

After springing to the lead with ease and sailing through the first 800m of the Class Three Members Cup (1,600m) almost a second inside standard time, Voyage Samurai kept on strongly to salute by a length and a half from the improving Stunning Peach.

“He’s a nice horse and he has a big stride. He’s quite a one-paced horse and he can go forward or sit second, it doesn’t matter,” said trainer Frankie Lor Fu-chuen.

“I was a bit worried with his draw in 14 because on his inside, one or two [runners] had gone fast in the past. Today they didn’t want to lead so it was OK.

“I don’t know just yet how good he will be in the future, but I hope he can keep improving.”

Voyage Samurai improved his record to three wins and two seconds from his five starts and the four-year-old will now find himself on a rating in the mid-70s.

The son of Dissident’s success completed a double for Leung after the jockey’s earlier success aboard the Jimmy Ting Koon-ho-trained Glory Elite in the first section of the Class Four Racing Club Handicap (1,200m).

Sent off the $6.75 second elect, Glory Elite also set a strong tempo in front before brushing aside $1.8 favourite Lucy In The Sky in the home straight to salute by three lengths.

“The horse is improving. He’s still only three years old,” Ting said after Glory Elite broke through at start six.

“He’s always a bit nervous in his races and in the gates he’s always rising up. This time, he was much more calm and relaxed.”

Leung moved to 22 winners for the season with his brace, while Ting now has seven successes to his name after 73 meetings of what has proven a testing campaign.

“I hope I can get some more winners. I hope my new horses will continue coming up and my results will be better. [This season] has been a bit disappointing.”

O’Sullivan stops by

Much-loved Kiwi Paul O’Sullivan made his annual visit to Sha Tin on Sunday, catching up with old mates and telling tales of his extensive travels since retiring from training two years ago.

Now based in Matamata in New Zealand, where his brother Lance trains in partnership with Andrew Scott, O’Sullivan is enjoying the good life after checking out of the Hong Kong pressure cooker with a winner at his last meeting in July 2022.

“I’m not doing much with the horses. I go to all the sales but I’m working on the farm and I’ve done a stack of travelling,” O’Sullivan said.

“I’ve been to Europe a few times, South America, the Bahamas, the Maldives. Life’s pretty good.

“I come back once a year. If you come back more than once a year, you’re annoying people. If you don’t come back for three years they’ve forgotten who you are.”