Zac Purton is adamant there is more to come from Massive Sovereign after the Hong Kong Derby hero warmed up for the Group One Hong Kong Cup (2,000m) on December 8 with a promising trial at Sha Tin on Tuesday morning.

Preparing for his clash with Romantic Warrior in the city’s richest race, Massive Sovereign breezed past his three rivals under minimal pressure from Purton to run out a comfortable winner of the 1,600m heat.

The four-year-old heads to Sha Tin’s marquee meeting with something to prove, having failed to return to the winners’ enclosure since his barnstorming Derby win in March.

But Purton is keeping the faith with Dennis Yip Chor-hong’s galloper and hopes he can transfer his encouraging trial efforts to a race day.

“I don’t want to keep making excuses for him, but I feel like there’s more there than he’s delivered in his last three runs,” Purton said.

“He’s working well and he’s going good, but he’s getting a bit too clever. When he gets to the front or gets away from horses, he just wants to pull up. In the morning, when you get to the winning post, he just stops.”

After he became the first horse in nearly three decades to win a Hong Kong Derby on only his second start in the city, Massive Sovereign failed to handle yielding ground at his first crack at the top level when a well-beaten eighth in April’s QE II Cup (2,000m).

He finished his season with a lacklustre sixth in the Group One Champions & Champions Cup (2,400m) before bidding to return to winning ways on seasonal reappearance in the Group Three Sa Sa Ladies’ Purse (1,800m) on November 3.

Massive Sovereign loomed ominously as the $2.4 favourite but his challenge was short-lived, with the son of No Nay Never one-paced in the final 200m when only managing sixth.

“He struck a wet track [in the QE II Cup], then went up to 2,400m which stretched him out and first up the other day, they took off at the half-mile and dragged it out of him,” Purton said. “Those are the excuses I can make for him, but at some stage he’s going to have to start delivering.”

Massive Sovereign could face a full field of 14 in the Hong Kong Cup, including Japanese hope Liberty Island and Aidan O’Brien-trained duo Wingspan and Content.

“Against the older horses it’s a good test for him,” Purton said. “He’s a long way out of it on the ratings and he’s got to improve a lot on what he’s been doing. It’s not going to be easy for him, but this is hopefully where he belongs and he’s got to show us that.”

Meanwhile, the newest addition to Hong Kong’s riding ranks will touch down in the city on Wednesday, with young gun Alexis Pouchin flying in ahead of his short-term contract.

He will begin his stint, which ends on January 31, at Sha Tin on Sunday.

While the French youngster will be in Hong Kong this December, he will not be joined by French star Goliath, with connections ruling out a trip to the Hong Kong International Races after he finished sixth in the Group One Japan Cup (2,400m) on Sunday.

“Goliath has exited the recent race in excellent condition. After thorough discussions with [trainer Francis Henri-Graffard] and the [ownership] team, we have concluded that Goliath merits a period of rest. We will be returning him to France as we prepare for a campaign aimed at showcasing him on a global scale in 2025,” owner John Stewart posted on social media.