Exultant has shaped like a future top stayer in his races so far this season and on Sunday (6 May) the four-year-old will get his chance to prove his potential in the Group 3 Queen Mother Memorial Cup Handicap, one of just three 2400m contests in the Hong Kong calendar.

The Teofilo gelding impressed when toying with his rivals in a 2000m win at the track in late December, and has since performed with credit in the Four-Year-Old Classic Series, notably when a running-on third to Ping Hai Star in the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m). But, despite his mount now taking the keenly-awaited step up to a mile and a half, jockey Zac Purton heads into the weekend feature with reservations.

“There’s no doubt he’s got the ability, I’m very happy to be on and I’m sure he’s going to run well, but I’m not going there thinking he’s just going to blow them away like I might have thought a few months ago,” the Australian ace said after riding barrier trials at Sha Tin this morning, Friday, 4 May.

The Tony Cruz-trained Exultant (121lb) has been beaten four times in the four months since his impressive victory, and, despite running with credit, Purton feels that the horse’s recent efforts raise a flag that the Irish import might not have made the progress connections had hoped for – at least, not yet.

“Earlier in the season I thought he’d just eat the mile and a half up but I think his last couple of runs have been disappointing, to be honest. He sort of gave me the feel when I won on him that he was going to be a progressive horse, the type that would measure up, that he was going to be really nice; as he’s got further into his prep he’s just lost his turn-of-foot.  He’s just not quite attacking the line like he had been earlier in the season, either,” he said.

For all of that, Exultant’s worst placing this calendar year remains his fourth in the Hong Kong Classic Mile and he has finished in the frame in the Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) as well as the Derby. Purton was in the plate for each of those runs, but handed the reins to Brett Prebble last start when the bay ran second to the re-opposing Prawn Baba in a 2200m Class 2 Handicap.

“Maybe he does want the distance, and it’s certainly a good thing to go to the distance, but I just wonder if he’s going as well as he was earlier on,” said Purton.

“He was a difficult horse to handle early on and Tony had to do a lot of work with him to teach him. He had an extra barrier trial shoved in there and a few gear changes, so he had a lot going on for a young, inexperienced horse and maybe it’s all caught up with him a little bit, but we’ll know more about that after Sunday,” he added.

Prawn Baba (115lb) made the most of a 10lb concession from Exultant last time to finish a length and a quarter ahead and will receive 6lb this time. That was the John Size-trained galloper’s third Hong Kong career win from 23 starts, and the second since he was the eighth of Joao Moreira’s “Magic Eight” wins in March, 2017.

Moreira is back aboard for the first time since that record-breaking day and is confident of a bold run as he looks to kick on in his quest for a fourth straight championship. The Brazilian heads into Sunday’s fixture with 101 wins to Purton’s 93.

“I think Prawn Baba’s going to go fantastic – he will definitely appreciate the light weight on his back. There are one or two very good horses, especially Exultant who was third in the Derby, but that light weight makes it winnable,” he said.

“He is pretty much against the same horses that he’s been running against, so I’m confident that he will run a very nice race.”

The field of eight also features the Cruz-trained Doyeni (113lb) and Savvy Six (113lb), third and fourth to Prawn Baba in that 2200m contest, as well as the Danny Shum-trained Happilababy (113lb), who was eighth.

The John Moore-trained Eagle Way (133lb) heads the weights, a week after running a fine third behind Pakistan Star in the G1 APQEII Cup (2000m).

Rickfield (113lb), from the Tony Millard stable, and the Argentinean G1 winner Goldfield (113lb), trained by Richard Gibson, complete the line-up.

The 11-race action on Chairmen’s Day will kick-off at 12.30pm when the Moore-trained Styling City will attempt to follow up his wide-margin debut win in the Cheung Cup Plate (1000m) for Griffins. The last race is the Class 3 Stevenson Cup Handicap (1400m) at 5.45pm.