Harry Bentley says Stormy Grove’s blistering finish last time out “absolutely” gives him confidence in the galloper’s ability to mount a challenge in the HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) at Sha Tin on Sunday (1 March).

Despite missing the Hong Kong Classic Mile (1600m) and only narrowly making the field for the second leg of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series thanks to his win in a Class 3 contest at Sha Tin two weeks ago, the manner of that victory has led to a significant rise in expectations.

The spectacular performance on 14 February saw the Frankie Lor trainee jump from barrier 14 before sweeping from last-to-first in the home straight, winning by three-quarters of a length. The victory was even more remarkable given that the chestnut only made the field due to a late scratching.

Stormy Grove’s final 400m sectional time of 21.85s was comfortably the fastest of the day, and Bentley took much encouragement from that display.

“His closing sectional was really quick,” Bentley said. “And just the way the race panned out … I think makes it all the more impressive for my horse to do what he did.”

That win, the first of Stormy Grove’s Hong Kong career, catapulted him into contention for the extended 1800m Hong Kong Classic Cup. It will be uncharted territory for the Australian-bred gelding, who was trained by Patrick & Michelle Payne in Australia before being imported to Hong Kong.

“We’re under no illusions,” the English rider said, “we’re going in against some really smart horses, and we’ve got to step up in distance again. But he’s getting there.”

Over the course of a momentum-building debut season in Hong Kong, the son of Toronado has already faced several rivals in Sunday’s field. In separate runs, he was beaten one and a quarter lengths by Patch Of Cosmo and went down by a nose to Lucky Sam Gor, but beat home Akashvani and Circuit Grand Slam, all of whom he’ll meet at a set weight of 126lb on Sunday.

While Bentley, who has ridden Stormy Grove in all six Hong Kong outings for a win, a second and a third, believes he’s a work in progress, the improvement has been notable.

“He’s learning on the job still. I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement with him. He’s quite a green horse still. And if you watch him head-on, even in the straight, he still has a tendency to run around a little bit,” Bentley said. “If he can relax like last time, he’s certainly one to watch.”

Sunday’s (1 March) 11-race fixture at Sha Tin starts at 12.30pm with the Class 4 Citi Wealth Handicap (1800m). The HK$13 million Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) jumps at 4.45pm, while the meeting also features the HK$13 million G1 Citi Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m), which will be run at 3.35pm.