Francis Lui Kin-wai hopes Packing Hermod can take his first step towards this season’s Classic Series when the unbeaten four-year-old makes his eagerly anticipated return at Sha Tin on Sunday.

The son of Rubick brushed aside his rivals by a cumulative five and a half lengths on his two starts last season and will bid to keep his perfect record intact in this weekend’s Class Three Shared Prosperity Handicap (1,200m).

Packing Hermod limbered up for his four-year-old campaign with an impressive trial win under Zac Purton on October 8 and Lui believes his galloper is in tip-top shape heading into Sunday.

“He’s had a few barrier trials and he kept improving with each trial,” Lui said. “They brought up his condition every time and he’s ready to go now.”

A HK$1.5 million purchase as a yearling from Australia, Packing Hermod lived up to his early promising trial efforts with a commanding debut win over the Happy Valley 1,200m on June 26.

After travelling in midfield under Purton, Packing Hermod stretched clear in authoritative fashion to win eased down by two and a half lengths.

It was a similar story when he returned to the races on July 14, with the gelding surging to a dominant three-length victory over Sha Tin’s 1,200m course.

On Sunday, Packing Hermod will carry 129 pounds from barrier 12, but Lui is optimistic his youngster can defy his wide berth and take another step forward.

“I hope he can keep improving but, of course, we will have to see,” Lui said. “If you look at what he did last season, it looks like he can progress.

“He’s up to Class Three now and I’m sure he can [be a Classic Mile contender] if he can take another step.”

Packing Hermod’s most immediate dangers include the ever-consistent Captain Win, Chris So Wai-yin’s Great State and the lightly-raced Super Infinity.

Lui ticked over to six wins for the season with a victory at Happy Valley on Wednesday and bids for more success with a strong team of nine runners on Sunday’s card.

While the champion trainer admits his Group Two Premier Bowl (1,200m) runner, Packing Treadmill, “is getting a bit old now”, the handler appears to have a solid winning chance in the Class Two HKJC 140th Anniversary Cup (1,600m) with Patch Of Theta.

A four-time winner from 10 starts last term, Patch Of Theta found only the front-running Drombeg Banner too strong first up on October 1 and will aim to go one better from barrier 12 under Hugh Bowman.

“He’s doing good and he’s a very consistent horse,” Lui said of Patch Of Theta, who secured the handler last season’s trainers’ championship with victory in the final race of the 2023-24 campaign.

“It was a good run last time and hopefully he can continue.”

Another galloper who will have to overcome barrier 12 is Lui’s last-start winner, Harold Win, in the Class Four Inspiring Community Handicap (1,200m).

After a string of consistent efforts, Harold Win got off the mark with a gutsy win over the same course and distance under Andrea Atzeni on September 29.

Of his remaining runners, Lui will hope the unexposed King Miles can return to winning ways in the Class Three Love Racing Handicap (1,400m), while Happy Park is a fascinating contender in the Class Four Striding On Together Handicap (1,200m) after he produced a career-best effort last time out.

Beau Gosse, Foxhunter King and Second To None complete Lui’s Sunday battalion.