The in-form Francis Lui Kin-wai hopes Copartner Prance “can improve a bit more” when his prolific sprinter bids for a seventh straight win at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Fresh off a treble at Happy Valley on Wednesday, Lui is keen to continue building momentum and believes Copartner Prance still has scope for further improvement in the Class Two Woodpecker Handicap (1,200m).

The son of Epaulette rose 45 points in the ratings for his five Happy Valley wins and sole Sha Tin success and is aiming to become the first horse since Golden Sixty to claim seven consecutive victories.

“He’s done OK over the summer,” Lui said. “At this moment his rating might be potentially near the top for him, but I don’t know where his peak rating will be.”

After failing to get off the mark in his first four starts, Copartner Prance collected four wins at the city circuit in the space of two months before defying the step up to Class Two level, a wide gate and a change in venue to prevail by a head over the Sha Tin 1,200m on June 6.

The five-year-old continued his impressive winning streak on his return to Happy Valley at the end of June, hitting the line powerfully with 128 pounds on his back.

He copped an eight-point penalty for winning the Class Two Tan Shan River Handicap (1,200m) by three-quarters of a length, which gives him an extra five pounds to carry on Sunday.

“I think he can improve a bit more, he’s still in very good form,” Lui said. “Let’s see how he runs this time to see if he can be [a Group horse].”

Copartner Prance played a crucial role in Lui’s maiden trainers’ championship win and he is set to face his toughest test yet in this weekend’s finale.

He will jump from barrier three under Zac Purton and faces stiff opposition further down the weights from the John Size-trained Young Champion and Mark Newnham’s Full Credit.

Elsewhere, Lui will launch a two-pronged attack on the first Group Three contest of the season, with Packing Treadmill and Wonder Kit lining up among the seven-runner Celebration Cup (1,400m) field.

The 65-year-old handler, who won the race in 2020 with Golden Sixty, admits his pair face an uphill battle in the HK$4.2 million feature.

“The race seems tough for them,” Lui said. “It looks like 1,400m is better than 1,200m for [Packing Treadmill] now. He ran OK last time, but it looks like he might struggle a little bit.”

While Packing Treadmill failed to land a blow in the Class One HKSAR Chief Executive’s Cup (1,200m) on the opening day of the season, the six-year-old did his best work in the closing stages to finish seventh.

He will have the help of South African jockey Lyle Hewitson in the saddle from barrier four, while Andrea Atzeni will reunite with Wonder Kit, who is four pounds out of the handicap and will jump from gate three.

Taj Dragon, Flying Ace, Healthy Happy, The Golden Scenery and Chiu Chow Spirit complete the Celebration Cup field.