In what shapes as a defining turn in a tense trainers’ championship tussle, Pierre Ng Pang-chi reclaimed the lead with a Sha Tin treble on Sunday highlighted by a Group Three double with stable stars Mugen and Galaxy Patch.

After relinquishing the title lead to a red-hot Francis Lui Kin-wai last week, Ng responded emphatically to surge to a 65-63 advantage with his first three-timer since January.

Mugen and Galaxy Patch proved they will be forces to be reckoned with at the elite level next season with sensational victories in the Premier Cup (1,400m) and Premier Plate (1,800m), respectively, while Greenwich kick-started Ng’s red-letter day with victory in the first section of the Class Four Diamond Handicap (1,400m).

In just his second season training, 40-year-old Ng predicted the championship might not be decided until the final meeting of the term on July 14.

“The plan for June, there’s four Group Threes. [I’m] lucky to get three of them and unlucky not to get four,” Ng said.

“We’re happy enough. The stable planned for that and hopefully we can head on to the last day. I’ll wait until the last meeting, the last 10 races to say. In the mean time, we’ll just put our heads down.”

Mugen delivered on his potential with a breakthrough feature triumph, storming home from last when scything his way through the middle of the field under Karis Teetan.

Sent off the $3.1 second elect, the Deep Field gelding chased down top sprinter and $2.4 favourite, California Spangle, to score by a neck. Flying Ace was beaten a length and a quarter in third.

Ng revealed a trip to Japan for the Group One Sprinters Stakes (1,200m) in September could be on the cards for Mugen, who ran third to Invincible Sage in the Group One Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1,200m) in April.

“Hopefully he’ll be a very good sprinter next year, either 1,200 or 1,400m,” Ng said. “The owners really wanted to bring a horse [to Hong Kong] that can travel and this horse might be the one for them.

“We might think of Japan - the Sprinters Stakes. Let’s see over summer. If there’s not many options, we’ll have a crack and if there’s options here, we’ll stay here.”

Teetan was concerned a heavy shower moments before the start of the Premier Cup would thwart Mugen.

“I don’t think he was too happy with the kickback because the showers we had made it a bit sandy behind, so I was a bit worried about him but then as soon as we hit the first turn, he got really comfortable and the place slacked up a little bit,” Teetan said.

“Of course, I was hoping for a split but I know this horse has got a beautiful turn of foot and with that weight on his back, I knew he could do it.”

Galaxy Patch capped an outstanding season by making it back-to-back Group Three victories after his Lion Rock Trophy (1,600m) triumph on June 2.

“I thought Vincent [Ho Chak-yiu] was going too wide [on the turn]. It was probably from an impossible position,” Ng said of Galaxy Patch’s powerful finish from second last to beat Beauty Joy by a neck.