After enduring the embarrassment of buying a racehorse that never made it to the races, Redkirk Warrior's owner Jenny Tam Yuk-ching asked herself, "What type of owner do I want to be?" and set about doing everything possible to make her second foray into ownership a success.

On Sunday, Tam's risky decision to spend big on English import Redkirk Warrior, a horse others had knocked back, and entrust the services of another relatively unproven commodity - second-year trainer Chris So Wai-yin - could pay off in the HK$18 million BMW Hong Kong Derby at Sha Tin.

"What happened the first time, it was very embarrassing," said Tam, whose first purchase, Syber Warrior, lost the desire to race after an operation. "You tell everybody you have a horse, then it never races and you are left to explain to your friends what happened. I thought this time I want a horse that will win something."

Through her role as director of one of Hong Kong's best-known charities, Po Leung Kuk, Tam knew one of the Jockey Club's most high-profile owners, Edmond Lee Man-bun.

"We sat down for a drink and Edmond told me about a horse he had looked at, but the first thing he said was, 'this horse is not going to be cheap'."

With a deadline to replace her failed first acquisition fast approaching and other owners circling Redkirk Warrior after an impressive second career win at Ascot, Tam made a decision to buy the raw three-year-old.

"You have to think about what type of owner you want to be," she said. "You could buy an inexpensive horse and, of course, the horse has a chance of being great, but the chances are minimal. You go to the races and come home disappointed most of the time.

"Or do you want a horse that will be a name? A horse that, when people talk about horse racing, it is something they will mention. If you choose to be the latter, then it comes with a price. Of course, paying HK$20 million doesn't guarantee your horse will be good either, but I think you have a better chance."

Bloodstock agent Alastair Donald facilitated the purchase of Redkirk Warrior and a win on Sunday would be his fourth success in the race after three previous victories for his best-known client, trainer John Moore.

Donald was involved in the buying of Viva Pataca (2006), Collection (2009) and last year's winner Designs On Rome (2014), as well as Moore's second placegetters Same World (2012) and Tiber (2004).

"Physically, back then, he was still a bit of a raw baby and he has developed into a pretty impressive looking horse," Donald said. "Of all the horses in the Derby, I think he is the one with the most impressive improvement - he has only had six lifetime starts, and it was just him being a baby that stopped him from winning last start."

Donald was referring to Redkirk Warrior's heart-stopping second in the Hong Kong Classic Cup last month, where the four-year-old's racing manners saw him edged out by Thunder Fantasy.

For So, a win in the Derby would be a fantastic achievement for a relatively young handler at 46, in just his second year of training - and it was actually the handler's inexperience that attracted Tam.

"I am new and he is new, so I thought we might have a spark," Tam said. "I also thought the horse might get more attention in a stable like his. Some of the trainers have a lot of high-class horses - how do they allocate their resources?"

Speaking at Thursday's barrier draw, So said the nerves were subsiding and he was happy to have one of the leading chances.

"His work is good, the horse is fit and well, and he drew right where we wanted," he said.