A Group 1 day at Sha Tin wouldn't be complete without superstar Kiwi rider James McDonald, who has made himself part of the furniture in Hong Kong thanks to his associations with Romantic Warrior and, more recently, Voyage Bubble.
While he will not have Romantic Warrior to team up with on FWD Champions Day, McDonald is once again armed with a strong book of rides headlined by Ricky Yiu Poon-fai's Voyage Bubble.
The six-year-old gelding operated in the shadow of the great Golden Sixty but he has come into his own this season, claiming three G1s and a G2 from five starts.
Voyage Bubble pulverized the G1 Hong Kong Gold Cup field in February and should take all the beating in the G1 FWD Champions Mile.
McDonald also teams up with Lucky Sweynesse in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize and Prognosis, who has a tendency to jump slowly, in the G1 FWD QE II Cup.
David Hayes has his eyes on an audacious Group 1 double on Sunday thanks to his pair of four-year-olds, Ka Ying Rising and Rubylot.
Ka Ying Rising will bid for his 12th consecutive win in the G1 Chairman's Sprint Prize while Hong Kong Classic Cup winner Rubylot will have his first crack at the top level in the G1 QE II Cup. The duo will jump from barrier four and three, respectively.
"It's nice that they've both drawn a good gate," Hayes told The Standard. "I didn't get much luck with barriers on the undercard so thankfully we have got a bit luckier in the races that mean that little bit more."
"There is a possibility that Sunday is a monumental day for the Hayes family as Mr Brightside, trained by David's sons Ben, Will and JD, steps onto the Sha Tin turf for the G1 FWD Champions Mile.
While FWD Champions Day is the perfect time for the Hong Kong Jockey Club to showcase the city's elite talent, the marquee fixture is also a good opportunity to highlight some of the progressive gallopers on the undercard.
One horse who could be contesting a feature contest on this day next year is the Francis Lui Kin-wai-trained Divano, who lines up in the fourth race of the day, a Class 2 contest over 1,400 meters.
The four-year-old produced a huge effort to finish second in January's Hong Kong Classic Mile and got back to winning ways with an impressive Class 1 victory under Angus Chung Yik-lai earlier this month.
With Chung suspended, Zac Purton takes over in the saddle aboard the 102-rated galloper, who may be bound for bigger and better things next season.
