It’s a peculiarity of Hong Kong racing: two classy four-year-old imports, both with highly credible overseas form, each bred to get the BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) distance and Privately Purchased (PP) with the Four-Year-old Classic Series in mind. Yet one takes flight, the other remains grounded.

Ahead of the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (1 February), the contrasting fortunes of Sagacious Life and Shanwah during their brief time in the city could hardly be starker.

Pierre Ng’s Sagacious Life is the highest-rated runner in the field with two impressive victories from his three outings. With champion hoop Zac Purton in the saddle, he’s widely expected to head the betting when markets open, and it will be a surprise if he isn’t in the finish as they pass the post at Sha Tin this weekend.

The Brazilian-bred son of Put It Back claimed four wins from six outings during his time in South America. Interestingly, the only horse to beat him in Brazil was Winfield (twice), who will also feature in Sunday’s race. Sagacious Life’s 4.3-length win in the G1 Derby Paulista (2400m) as a three-year-old proved he had the credentials for a Four-Year-Old Classic Series campaign.

A recent barrier trial win under Purton suggests the gelding’s form is peaking at just the right time.

With all that is going well for Sagacious Life, does Ng feel any pressure ahead of the series opener?

“I’m enjoying it rather than feeling pressure,” Ng said. “Because he’s raced three times and won twice, already the pressure’s off coming into the series. Of course, I haven’t got any results yet, but hopefully I can get a little bit more from this Four-Year-Old series. But not a lot of pressure, we are happy with the horse.”

Douglas Whyte’s Shanwah has struggled to make an impression in his three outings to date, finishing 10th, 14th and 11th. His 80 rating – courtesy of some dazzling performances in Australia – is the joint-lowest in the field, and few are tipping him for an upset this weekend.

Some PPs simply take longer to adjust to life in Hong Kong than others, and Whyte isn’t ready to write off Shanwah yet. A positive showing in a recent 1600m barrier trial could yet prove a turning point for the New Zealand-bred bay.

“He’s just taking a little bit longer than I expected to settle in and come to hand. We’ve hopefully worked a few things out with him,” Whyte said. “His trial was encouraging. He was in need of that trial. I think he’s come on from that.”

Shanwah’s overseas form was arguably the more impressive: an imposing win in the G2 Caulfield Autumn Classic (1800m) in February 2025 was followed a month later by a fine performance in capturing the G2 Alister Clark Stakes (2040m) at Moonee Valley.

However, it’s a notable point in his form record that all four of his wins in Australia came on left-handed tracks, and he found it harder to match those performances on right-handed runs. Whyte cites that as a factor in his Sha Tin travails to date.

“He looks like he’s a left-hand drive. So, we’ve had to alter that. And he is slowly adapting.”

Whyte hopes a change of luck and a new face in the saddle could lead to a turnaround in fortunes.

“He hasn’t had the best of races to afford him the opportunity to finish in a better position. For all three runs, it hasn’t been a straightforward, smoothly run race,” the former champion jockey said.

“Harry Bentley sat on him yesterday for a turf gallop just to associate himself with the horse and he was happy,” he added. “Harry’s got lovely hands, and I just hope he has an uninterrupted run, and he should provide a better performance.”

Bentley feels a favourable draw from barrier five and a positive ride could be just the catalyst for a return to form.

“His last couple of runs, he’s been a bit further back in the field. We want to ride him a little bit more positively,” Bentley said. “I imagine from draw five, we’ll bounce and try and have him a bit handier than he has been running recently and put him in the mix.

“He’s got a kick and clearly a decent level of ability. He’ll need to certainly find a bit more than he has been showing in Hong Kong. But if he can find some of that form from Australia, then you’ve got to respect him,” added the Englishman.

Sunday’s (1 February) 11-race fixture at Sha Tin starts at 12.30pm with the Class 4 Clear Water Bay Handicap (1000m). The HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) jumps at 4.05pm.