Pierre Ng Pang-chi has confirmed connections will pay the HK$260,000 late entry fee required to get Galaxy Patch into the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2,000m) after the four-year-old’s slashing second under Karis Teetan in Sunday’s Group One Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1,400m).

Stepping up to the elite level for the first time after four wins from seven starts to begin his Hong Kong career, Galaxy Patch surged home from near the back of the field with comfortably the fastest final 400m of the race to finish a length behind the victorious California Spangle.

“It was a huge run. He was running over 1,400m for the first time in his life in a Group One and he switched off nicely and finished off well. I certainly can’t complain,” Ng said after Galaxy Patch impressed seven days after finishing fifth in a Class Two over 1,000m.

“The owner really wants to go to the Derby, so we will go for that plan, then I think he will probably be a good miler later on.

“I think we just have to get the right jockey, switch him off and wait for the straight. I’m not sure, I think Karis has another horse already. If not Karis, I think I will get someone from Australia.”

Teetan partnered the David Hayes-trained Star Mac into fourth in the Classic Cup and looks to have a decision to make.

Ng suggested it’s unlikely his other Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup runner, the eighth-placed Taj Dragon, will head to Dubai.

“Probably not, we haven’t heard anything yet. Today’s run was a bit unlucky, he didn’t get a clear run and we really didn’t see his best performance today. Hopefully when he runs over a mile later on we can see the best of him,” Ng said.

Taj Dragon, his stablemates Duke Wai and Apache Pass, Douglas Whyte’s Russian Emperor and the Manfred Man Ka-leung-trained Encountered would require invitations to join Voyage Bubble, Straight Arron, Sight Success and California Spangle at Meydan on World Cup night later this month.

“He’s entered, he galloped well and if he gets invited, we’re keen to go,” Whyte said of Russian Emperor.

Also on Sunday, trainers’ championship leader Ng broke through for his 50th winner of the season before going on to ring up a double thanks to the victories of Aeroinvincible and Frantanck.

Stuck on 49 successes since February 21, Ng was relieved to see second starter Aeroinvincible coast to victory in the second section of the Class Four Lung Kong Handicap (1,400m).

“I thought there was a bit of pressure to get to 50 and it took me a little while to get up there. Hopefully we’ll hit the next stage at 60,” Ng said after reaching his first half-century in his second season.

“[Aeroinvincible is] a promising horse, he’s still young and there’s a lot to improve on.”

Aeroinvincible’s success was also the first of a double for jockey Andrea Atzeni, who was later successful aboard Baby Crystal.

Victor The Winner ready to fly

Danny Shum Chap-shing couldn’t be happier with Victor The Winner’s condition as the speedster prepares to fly to Japan on Tuesday morning.

After banking his maiden Group One success in January’s Centenary Sprint Cup (1,200m), Victor The Winner was successful in a trial last Tuesday and will now set his sights on the Group One Takamatsunomiya Kinen (1,200m) at Chukyo on March 24.

Dubai beckons for California Spangle after brave Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup win

“All is going well, his trial was good and we just need some luck now,” Shum said.

Derek Leung Ka-chun was in the saddle for Victor The Winner’s Centenary Sprint Cup triumph and will travel to Japan twice, first to gallop the five-year-old on Tuesday, March 19 and then to partner him in the race, with the jockey to return to ride at Happy Valley in between trips but miss the Hong Kong Derby meeting at Sha Tin.

Top HKIS lot lands timely blow

Patch Of Theta produced a timely success at Sha Tin on Sunday afternoon, with the top lot from last year’s Hong Kong International Sale (HKIS) breaking his maiden five days before this year’s auction.

Knocked down to Angela Yeung Kit-ming for HK$8.6 million, Patch Of Theta struck at start five in the first section of the Lung Kong Handicap, wearing down his rivals from midfield under Hugh Bowman to comfortably see off Voyage Samurai by a length and a half.

“You can see in his past few races he kept chasing, but he just needed to learn and mature,” said trainer Francis Lui Kin-wai, who finished the afternoon with a double thanks to the later success of Baby Crystal. “For sure [I’ll be looking to buy at the HKIS], maybe even for this owner.”

Patch Of Theta wasn’t the only HKIS graduate to salute on Sunday, with five-year-old Smart Beauty taking out the Class Five Hau Wong Handicap (1,800m).

This year’s sale takes place on Friday night in the Sha Tin parade ring, with 18 lots expected to go through the ring should they pass final vetting this week.

Seventeen of those lots breezed up at Sha Tin on Saturday morning, with HKIS executive manager Danny Rolston pleased with what he saw, and lot 13 will step out on Monday morning after a hoof abscess delayed the Siyouni gelding’s progress by a few days.