Seasons Wit stacked on more points than all bar two Jamie Richards-trained gallopers in the Kiwi handler’s first Hong Kong campaign, and the sprinter will seek to make it four Happy Valley 1,000m wins in a row when he starts his second term on Sunday.

Imported from Australia with one victory and four placings from his five runs for the Victoria-based team of Anthony and Sam Freedman, Seasons Wit made his Hong Kong debut for Richards on a local mark of 63.

Half a dozen starts over Happy Valley’s minimum distance under six-time Hong Kong champion rider Zac Purton later, Seasons Wit’s rating is 23 points higher following his three frame-filling early efforts and subsequent hat-trick of Class Three triumphs.

The Class Two Kwangtung Handicap Cup (1,000m) will be Seasons Wit’s first outing this term. Richards acknowledges his speedster, set to carry 120 pounds because Purton has informed Jockey Club stewards he intends to weigh out one pound above his mount’s allocated impost, faces a tough assignment.

“He’s up to Class Two now, and there’s nowhere to hide out there,” Richards said. “He’s in good shape. He’s had two trials at Conghua on the turf, and one at Sha Tin on the dirt. He missed the kick in his last trial. He wouldn’t want to do that on Sunday.

“He’s had a nice summer break. He’ll improve with the run, but we’ve tried to get him as fit as we possibly can because there aren’t many of these sorts of races.”

Among Seasons Wit’s eight Kwangtung Handicap Cup rivals are fellow Happy Valley sprint specialists Kurpany and Whizz Kid.

Kurpany boasts four city-circuit successes – two over the shortest trip – and Whizz Kid set the Class Two 1,000m track record when he stopped the clock at 55.89 seconds last year.

Richards will saddle four runners at this term’s only weekend Happy Valley meeting – August Moon, Flash Point, Seasons Wit and Sixth Generation – with the latter second up in the Class Three Zhaoqing Handicap (1,200m) after flashing home for fourth over the same course and distance under Vincent Ho Chak-yiu last month.

The biggest climber in the ratings for Richards last season, Sixth Generation has won four of his first 11 races for the Kiwi trainer – one over 1,400m and three over Happy Valley’s 1,650m – to skyrocket from 41 to 74.

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“I thought his run the other day was very strong, and we’ve given him a bit of time between runs, which he enjoys,” Richards said. “It’s only early in the season, and I’m mindful of stepping him up in distance too quickly. We’ll give him one more spin over 1,200m, and hopefully, he should be competitive.”

Purton, who is on a Hong Kong losing streak of 27 rides since he steered Taj Dragon to victory at Sha Tin on October 15, will jump aboard Seasons Wit and Sixth Generation.