Ever Luck’s improvement with blinkers on for the first time last start has given James Orman a boost in confidence ahead of the talented sprinter’s return to Class Three at Sha Tin on Saturday.

A brilliant winner on debut in October despite running out abruptly on the home turn, Ever Luck relished the major gear change and dropping back to 1,000m when he made all last start in March.

Orman was impressed by the performance under top weight of 135lb and the son of Capitalist drops 10lb when he rises in grade in Saturday’s Pok Fu Lam Country Park Handicap (1,000m).

“Stepping up to Class Three, he should run well. We’ve drawn sort of the wrong side a little bit, but he’s a fast horse,” Orman said of the Mark Newnham-trained galloper, who jumps from barrier four down the 1,000m straight.

“We’ll just have to see how the race shakes out but obviously it’s a massive advantage to be on the outside fence there. He’s a natural leader, my horse, but we’ll just have to see how we jump and where we can position.

“He definitely improved with the blinkers, so that was a smart move by Mark and the team there to bring him back to 1,000m and put the blinkers on. I think he’s going to be better over 1,200m down the track, but he’s just not quite strong enough yet, so I think the 1,000m is suiting him well.”

Ever Luck ran seventh – the worst finish of his five-start career so far – when he was caught wide without cover throughout in his only Class Three start in February.

The three-year-old is one of nine runners for Newnham at Sha Tin as the Australian bids to extend his lead in the exciting race for the trainers’ championship.

Holding on to a one-win lead over Caspar Fownes and Danny Shum Chap-shing, Newnham will also be represented by Gaudium Magnum, Russet Glow, Alsonso, Impending Legacy, Super Dragon, Circuit Marshal, Legend Winner and Crimson Flash.

Crimson Flash will chase a third consecutive triumph in the Class Two Sai Wan Shan Handicap (1,200m), but the in-form sprinter has drawn wide in gate 10 and takes on the unbeaten Hot Delight.

“He’s been great, he’s a very consistent horse and he’s good on all tracks, which is helpful,” Newnham said.

“He’s come up with an awkward barrier and he’s up in weight, but he keeps improving. We’ll just have to look at the field and see where he’s best placed in running, but from 10 it’s either got to be all the way up or all the way back, so I’ll just have a look at the speed in the race before we make that determination.”

Orman will also ride Circuit Marshal, who will race in cheek pieces for the first time in the Class Four St George’s Challenge Cup (1,400m).

“From the good gate [in three], cheek pieces on, if he travelled three or four lengths closer it will put him in the finish,” Newnham said.

“I think [he can settle midfield] – where he’s comfortable, but it will give James some options on how he jumps and where he is in the first 200m, and then the speed of the race will dictate where he is.”

Two-year-old Gaudium Magnum will make his race debut in the Butterfly Bay Plate (1,000m) for Griffins off the back of strong seconds in his two trials.

“He’s progressed really well in the last few weeks and he’s shown enough in his trials to run in Griffin grade,” Newnham said.

“He’s a horse that’s needed time to adapt to the speed of things, so that’s why he’s had the blinkers on. His last trial, he kept coming and was strong late and strong through the line, so it was an improvement on his first trial where Luke [Ferraris] rode him and had to niggle him the whole way to keep up.

“So, if he can jump and travel well through the first half, I’m sure he’ll be strong late.”

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