Fresh from his Group One heroics last weekend, Ricky Yiu Poon-fai is confident Sunlight Power can capitalise on his inside draw and keep the good times rolling at Sha Tin on Sunday.

Yiu celebrated Voyage Bubble’s emphatic Stewards’ Cup (1,600m) defence with his legion of owners last Sunday and chases another sizeable pot this weekend with Sunlight Power in the Class Two Paris 2024 Paralympic Games Hong Kong, China Team Celebration Cup (1,600m).

After a luckless run from the rear of the field over 1,400m on January 12, Yiu has high hopes Zac Purton can weave his magic from gate one to get the five-year-old back on track.

“We put Zac on him because then he’d have a better chance of having a good draw,” Yiu jokingly said, referring to Sunlight Power’s past three runs from barriers 12, 10 and nine.

“There are only eight runners in the race so I think he will do well. He’ll definitely improve and as everyone saw, he didn’t have any luck last time.”

After collecting three wins over 1,400m last season, Sunlight Power returned this term with a dominant two-length success from barrier nine over the same course and distance on September 15.

The five-year-old shot from the rear of the pack to put the Class Three contest to bed in a matter of strides, stamping himself as a horse ready to surge up the ratings.

But Sunlight Power is yet to return to the winners’ enclosure from his following five starts, something Yiu says is the result of being dealt tough hands from wide draws.

“He has drawn wide a lot,” Yiu said. “He won from [gate] 10 last year and nine this season and the horse is in great order and he’s ready to perform. I’ll be watching on from New Zealand – I’ll be at the Karaka sale – but hopefully he can get it done on Sunday.”

Purton hops aboard Sunlight Power and they face a field of seven rivals all looking to return to winning ways.

There are no last-start placegetters in the field, but it be would no surprise to see the front-running Voyage Samurai and Caspar Fownes’ Karma give the seven-time champion jockey most to think about.

Looking at the rest of Sunday’s card, Yiu hopes he can convert across the board with a total of eight runners hitting the Sha Tin turf.

The 67-year-old believes Volcanic Spark is poised to put in a bold performance when the galloper returns to his favoured 2,000m in the Class Four I’mpossible Handicap (2,000m).

“I like him,” Yiu said. “Alexis Pouchin will ride him and he’s a proper grinder of a horse. Over 1,800m or 2,000m he’ll always be competitive, so I’m hopeful for Sunday.”

Yiu had an extra spring in his step as he marched around Happy Valley on Wednesday night, fuelled by last Sunday’s confirmation that his stable is home to the best miler in the city.

On Voyage Bubble, the handler confirmed that his stable star was in tip-top shape following his two-length success, with all roads leading to next month’s Group One Hong Kong Gold Cup (2,000m).

“He’s pulled up 101 per cent,” Yiu said. “He’s just a magnificent horse and he’s very happy with himself – we are all very happy.”