The Class of '27 on the rise at season's end

Sure, the 4yo series is not until next January but it's never too early to look at the rising stars amongst the current 3yo crop who might, or might not, get to those races on the way to the Derby.

The Hong Kong handicap system is more difficult for good 3yos than it appears from afar - a talented 3yo does not have the luxury of competing against his own age, with the exception of two or three races a season.

The type of 3yo which might be competing for Group races againsr his peers in Great Britain, Europe, the Americas or Australia usually finds himself competing against mature, older horses right from the start and, likely, conceding weight to them under handicap conditions. It is brutal and unforgiving and, sometimes, a very talented younger horse might even get buried in defeats for a period for those reasons before re-emerging as he strengthens.

To take our list below of the highest-rating 3yos turning four next season, Hot Delight would likely have already won a Group race of some level against his own age if he had stayed in his birthplace, Australia, but is matching it with good class older horses instead and managed four wins from five starts that make him the most exciting up and comer in Hong Kong right now.

HOT DELIGHT (K583, Francis Lui 3g Too Darn Hot - Love Somebody) advertised himself well at the trials before his racing debut in January but he really put it together on race day, running out an easy winner over 1200m at Sha Tin and posting a 96 rating.

The times, the acceleration, the manner of the win were all impressive, and that alone highlights him as future Group race material as very few horses rate that highly on debut. One of the very few in recent times was dual HK Sprint winner, Mr Stunning, when he scored a debut win worthy of his name in 2016 with a 95 figure.

Hot Delight's debut caught everyone's attention but, when he went straight to Class 3 and scored comfortably again at his second start, it was his trainer Francis Lui who attracted the attention, making a very favourable comparison with his former champion, Golden Sixty, at the same stage.

At the same stage was doing all the heavy work there - on our ratings, Hot Delight is better than Golden Sixty "at the same stage" but Golden Sixty strengthened up from three to four, was ridden more conservatively in his second season as well and that saw him blossom into something special.

Still, with four wins from five starts in his first campaign and a brave close fourth with excuses in the other, Hot Delight has shown all the right ingredients and there is nothing to say he can't be stronger too when he comes back in 2026-27.

LOVE TOGETHER (L052, Caspar Fownes 3g Capitalist - Maroon Bay) is actually holding the highest rating with us of any 3yo and has topped the 90 mark several times at Happy Valley, including his 97 peak there over 1000m, but did put up a 94 rating winning down the straight at Sha Tin in June, to show that he is not just a Valley specialist.

He won one from five when he raced as Mednyi in Australia and won over 900m at Newcastle for Anthony and Sam Freedman and has won two of nine starts in HK but the reasons we prefer Hot Delight are twofold - with a total of 14 starts, Love Together is already fairly well explored but also looks a specialist short course sprinter.

He sits in a similar sort of position to Colourful King this time last year - his ratings are up to winning a good race next season - certainly a Group 3 down the straight - but his distance options are looking very narrow. Even if he could hold his level over 1200m, he could run into You Know Who.

ALMIGHTY LIGHTNING (L126, Manfred Man, 3g Dirty Work - Morton) has had five starts for two wins, two seconds and one failure when he struck an extremely wet track in May, something that nay horse has to be unlucky to find in Hong Kong.

Although his best numbers so far - peaking at 94 - were in his two starts down the straight 1000m in Class 4, the trick with him is that he has never looked like a short course sprinter. He was outpaced in the middle of those races then produced some big acceleration late in the piece, and his acceleration was also a feature of his most recent appearance, winning over 1400m in Class 3 in June.

He has already posted figures that put him in the right ball park for a race like the Classic Mile and, although his sire was a short course sprinter and most of his progeny have been too, Almighty Lightning might be getting some influence from his dam sire Flying Spur, as he looks like he will get a mile next season.

TYCOON RESOURCES (L234, Tony Cruz, 3g Written Tycoon - Harlech) is probably not far behind Hot Delight as the most exciting young horse on this list, given his unbeaten record, ratings, pedigree and the fact he is trained by one of Hong Kong's most successful big race performers, who has already expressed great optimism about the gelding's future.

Tycoon Resources has only been out at Happy Valley to date, winning twice over 1000m - the second in very eye catching style when he looked to be in big trouble in running - then over 1200m, in a canter.

His peak rating so far has been 93 and he has to prove himself at the bigger track at Sha Tin and over further than 1200m, but that's where the exciting part comes in - what he has done so far, he has done on raw talent alone.

His dam, Harlech, is already the mother of Hungry Heart, who won the G1 Vinery over 2000m and G1 Australian Oaks 2400m in Sydney, so there's every reason to think Tycoon Resources will develop into a Derby horse next season as he gets out over more distance.

SUPERB SPIRIT (L040, Francis Lui, 3g Zousain - Totally Sure) After some nice trials, Superb Spirit was beaten by draw and race shape as favourite at his debut but has made amends since with two Class 4 victories over 1200m on rain-affected ground and has looked better each time he has gone to the races, rating 92 in his latest 2-length victory.

His next run will be in Class 3 and we will learn more about him but he shapes like a horse who will continue to improve with experience. There are certainly questions about how far he will run, looking at a pedigree that seems like sprinter over sprinter, but his style suggests he should handle 1400m.

COOL BOY (L014, Jamie Richards, 3g Per Incanto - Saoirse) has been the most consistent of the horses on our list who have had some exposure, rating 90 or higher five times in his eight starts, with a peak at 93.

Cool Boy burst on the scene quite unheralded, a 50-1 chance when third to Salon S at debut then 30-1 on international day when he won his second start before adding a second and third victory at his next two starts. Since then, he has been hampered several times by wide gates and difficult trips but has not lacked endeavour but the luck needed to win those races. If he is to become a Classic Mile horse next season, he'll need to improve his manners as he has shown some inclination to overrace, but in his favour is his sire Per Incanto, a son of Street Cry who has been one of Hong Kong's favourite sires of sprinter-milers for many years.

MY MARS (L301, David Hayes, 3g Advertise - For Henry) is only the second horse on the list with prior overseas form and the only Northern Hemisphere horse, though he arrived as a five-start maiden from his 2yo career as Unbreakable Duke with Diego Dias in Ireland.

Northern Hemisphere 3yos a have no advantages in the back half of the Hong Kong season as they are months away from turning four and, as a horse with previous form, My Mars entered the system in Class 3 rather than Class 4, but this guy has looked very capable and willing in three starts.

He surprised first time out when he won at 29-1 at Sha Tin over 1200m, then followed it up with a close second in wet conditions before making it two wins when he scored in May.

What has been impressive is that he rated 92 on debut, followed up with 89 then 91, and that suggests that he might be capable of something a step better as he matures.

Although he has been untried beyond 1200m in Hong Kong, or 1400m in Ireland, he is out of a Galileo mare so perhaps he can run a little further with maturity.

BABY SAKURA (L230, Francis Lui, 3g Tagaloa - True Priority). Another from the strong Lui barns, Baby Sakura has won three of six starts, peaking with a 91 rating, so far, but has shown some good signs for the future.

He won a low-rating, slowly-run 1200m race on debut but was well up to the challenge later in faster races and looked more comfortable when he stepped up to 1400m later in his campaign. Whether he runs further remains a question mark but he has the makings of a horse who will measure up to Class 2 and that's the right level for the 4yo series races.

SALON S (K585, Frankie Lor, 3g Zousain - Divine City) was at double-figure odds on debut when he led throughout in good style against other 3yos over 1200m but, with that win, he caught fire, was favourite for every start afterwards and it would be his fifth start before he was ever headed by another horse.

He led all the way over 1400m in Class 4 then twice in Class 3, each time as favourite, and getting rave reviews for style, even if his Winning Factor ratings weren't quite matching the hype. At start five, he was tested in Class 2 and came up short, finishing fourth but not beaten far by some smart older horses, Winning Ovation, Six Pack and Mighty Masts, so far from disgraced.

In the Frankie Lor stable syndicate colours that Numbers carried into second in this year's Derby, he has posted a 91 peak rating, which leaves him shiort of some others on this list, but he may strengthen up as a 4yo and has the happy style of making his own luck up on the lead that helps horses punch above their talent.

This list has been restricted to only 3yos which have rated higher than 90, but there are a few others with ratings just short of that level, which have caught the eye and have scope to improve, like Joyful Joy (90), Crossborderdude (90), Master Payment (90), Conrad Patch (90), Embrace Aberdeen (90), Leading Agility (89), Absolute Heart (88) and last Saturday's winner, Mr Incredible (88).

Obviously, there is a lot more to come with the classic crop of next season.

There are many more 3yos to start their career, there is a lot of development left in many of those who have already started and there are the imports from both hemispheres yet to come. That applies particularly to the Northern Hemisphere imports, which are usually not even sold to Hong Kong until connections have exhausted their possibilities of 3yo features, right through to the northern autumn.